Never go to
any restaurant using this type of stove....steamboat
using this type of stove is out of the
question...now!!!!
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Now that
I’ve warned you about the pictures I’m going to
warn you about something else that will
hopefully help you, or someone you know, avoid
going through the same trauma that my wife,
Kaori, and her family went
through.
It was Kaori’s
last day with her family in Vancouver , Canada
before going back to Japan . And like many
Japanese celebrations this one involved food…
lots of food.
Yakiniku it was - so out
came the meat and veggies and we fired up the
portable gas stove that we see used in many
restaurants and households in Korean and
Japanese influenced parts of the
world.
Just as we had done hundreds of
times before for yakiniku, sukiyaki, shyabu
shyabu or nabe parties - we all gathered around
and cooked our food on the gas stove which was
placed in the center of the table. The marinated
meat and tons of little side dishes, Kimchi
(spicy pickled cabbage), Chapchae (stir fried
noodles) and Namul (seasoned spinach), that we
bought from the local Korean market were
delicious.
After cooking for a while the
house started to get a little smokey so we
opened the windows. The cool breeze felt great
and the smoke quickly cleared.
We were
just about to wrap things up. The kids had
already eaten and they were playing with their
Transformers on the other side of
the room.. The adults were grilling the last of
the meat, drinking a couple beers and chit
chatting… and that’s when it happened.
A
flash of orange followed by a deafening bang!
The butane canister inside to the portable gas
stove had exploded. One side of the table… the
side where Kaori, her mom and sister were
sitting, was engulfed in flames. Before they
could react a monstrous fireball of burning gas
wrapped around them and tumbled towards the
ceiling and out the window. After the initial
explosion, the gas from the canister which
covered the girls was still burning. They were
on fire.. We were all in shock… then came the
panic and screaming…then crying. The smell of
burnt skin and hair was overwhelming
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Kaori’s father Sako
made sure the kids were OK… then we got wet towels to cool
the burns. We called 911 and, after what seemed like an
eternity, the ambulance and fire trucks arrived. The three
girls were rushed to the hospital and treated for severe
burns.
Below are photographs
taken of Kaori shortly after the
incident.
As you can see her
entire body was charred. I can’t even imagine how much pain
she went through both physically and emotionally.
One side of her face
was burned but her eyes weren’t - luckily she still has full
vision.
This pictures was taken
before the skin peeled. She has severe scars on both of her
hands and back. Going to the beach and sunbathing is no
longer an option. If she goes in the sun for even a short
period of time she must wear the strongest protection,
SPF-85 sunblock. Her skin is scarred badly and
any sunlight will just make the scarring worse.
The flames wrapped
around her body and burned her back and shoulders. She was
wearing a tank top at the time of the accident so that
didn’t help. Can you imagine what it was like to take a
shower after being burned like this? Looking at these
pictures brings back horrible memories.
Here’s a picture of the
actual portable gas stove that exploded. The insurance
company determined that the stove was faulty - the gas
canister was too close to the flame causing it to become hot
and explode. Both the manufacturer of the stove and the
Canadian distributor, which were both based in Korea , are
nowhere to be found.
Needless to say we will not go
to a restaurant that uses any type of portable gas stove.
Our family and all of our friends have thrown away
their butane stoves and we now use a safe electric grill
instead. |
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