Man Recovering from Burns After Camping Trailer Fire

June 20, 2010

By Kim Hynes (BUTLER COUNTY, Kan.)

A Father's Day celebration at El Dorado lake goes up in flames for one family. The Butler County family's camping trailer caught fire Sunday. James Young was turning on a propane tank, when it exploded in his face. "I don't remember actually being on fire. I remember the explosion and the flash and I remember seeing my skin hanging," Young said.

He ended up with second degree burns over 30% of his body. All he was wearing was swim trunks and sandals when he turned on the propane tank to prepare dinner. It's something he'd done dozens of times before, but this time he says some sort of pressure cap shot off. "I heard a very loud whoosh. I don't know how to even explain it. It came out so fast the grass was moving, I could smell it."

Seconds later, the camper exploded. Young thinks either a grill or camp fire nearby ignited the gas. "I kind of fell down and crawled on my belly. Most of my belly skin is still out there on the ground."

He says at first he didn't feel the pain because he was more worried about his family. "I didn't know where they were. That's what scared me more than anything," he said. But when he realized they were all okay, the pain hit. "First thing I did was jump in the lake to cool it off. In hindsight, El Dorado lake wasn't the cleanest thing to jump into."

Young is now recovering at Via Christi St. Francis. He's not only worried about the burns, but everything else he lost. His wallet, family camping gear and wife's purse all burned in the camper. "It's a huge mess to deal with." Although he has a lot of against him right now, Young remains optimistic. He's hoping to be out of the hospital and back at the lake by the Fourth of July.

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