Exploding candle engulfs Texas woman’s hands ‘in a blazing inferno,’ lawsuit says
Within seconds of a Texas woman lighting a brand new candle on her kitchen island, it “began emitting a large, terrifying flame.”
Worried that it might damage her home, RickiLynn Gardner tried using water to extinguish the fire, according to a lawsuit filed in federal court.
“This only caused the flame to flare up like an explosion,” her attorneys said in an amended complaint filed July 18 in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas. “Presumably, a dangerous chemical inside of the candle wax reacted to the water and caused the flame to intensify in a horrific and extremely dangerous way.”
Blink home security video provided by Sorrels Law shows the Seabrook woman also tried to blow out the large fire on Nov. 25, 2022.
Then she decided to move the candle to the metal kitchen sink right behind her, according to the lawsuit.
“(She) touched the Candle midway down and the glass was cool to the touch,” attorneys Randall O. Sorrels and Turner Johnston said in the complaint. “She then picked up the Candle carefully and kept it level.”
“As she did, the glass suddenly cracked, the wax came spilling out, and (her) hands were engulfed in a blazing inferno and coated with hot melted wax,” according to the lawsuit.
The home security camera captured the moment “a tower of fire exploded from the candle” in her kitchen, decorated for the Christmas season.
“Oh my God,” Gardner is heard shouting.
She was severely burned, according to a news release from Sorrels Law, and she’s since undergone several surgeries.
“In addition to (her) physical pain and suffering, she has experienced significant mental anguish from the incident and her injuries,” according to her attorneys. “She has post-traumatic stress disorder which causes her depression and anxiety. She has lost the ability to engage in many activities she used to enjoy, including certain activities with her daughter (all the more harmful since she’s a working single mother).
“The disfigurement and impairment have detrimentally impacted her career in cosmetic surgery sales,” the lawsuit continued. “She is at risk of losing her job.”
Gardner is suing Aroma 360, LLC, which does business as HotelCollection.com, and is seeking over $1 million in monetary relief. Her legal team says the company was negligent in its “defective design, manufacturing, and marketing of the exploding candle.”
The defense attorney for Aroma 360 and the Hotel Collection brand did not immediately respond to a request for comment from McClatchy News on July 25.
Gardner purchased the $149.95 three-wick deluxe candle — “Midnight in Paris” scent — in November, according to the lawsuit. The 55 ounce candle has a burn time of 300 hours, according to the product description.
The warnings on the bottom of the candle did not say you shouldn’t use water to put out a flame, and it does not say you shouldn’t pick up the candle, the attorneys said. It also did not come with a lid.
Her legal team said she complied with all warnings listed on the candle’s label.
“The danger of these candles cannot be overstated,” Sorrels said in the news release. “The consuming public should be warned of how these products can cause fire, explosion and injury.”
At least five others have said online that their Hotel Collection candles have shattered or emitted a large flame.
“My candle almost set my house on fire!” one online review says, according to the lawsuit. “It smells great however, this tiny candle put up a MASSIVE flame. When I tried to blow it out the flame got bigger, when I pulled it closer to me the candle cracked in half. I ended up having to smother it with a tumbler to put the candle out.”
“After burning it for 4 hours, it literally caught on fire tonight,” another review says. “It looked like a bonfire on my kitchen countertop. Thank God I caught it in time!”
The lawsuit accuses the brand of knowing its candle design was defective, yet still selling an “unreasonably dangerous” candle.
Aroma 360 has until Aug. 18 to respond to the complaint in court.
Spicy ‘Dragon Balls’ dish left customer with ‘chemical burns,’ California lawsuit says
Man forced to watch home burn for hours when 3 fire hydrants didn’t work, lawsuit says
Pressure cooker defects caused food explosion, scalding Nebraska woman, lawsuit says
