A Texas woman received painful burns to her face after a Bath & Body Works candle allegedly exploded while she attempted to blow it out.
Ashley Brawley had just gotten out of the shower when she smelled something burning in her living room.
That's where she had lit a three-wick Bath and Body Works Vanilla Bean Noel candle almost three and a half hours earlier.
Ashley said, "the candle's flames were burning five or six inches above the top of its glass", so she attempted to blow it out.
Instead of the candle going out, a fire ball shot back up in her face.
Ashley screamed for her husband, then ran back to the bathroom where she'd left her 2-year-old sitting on the counter.
In the mirror, she saw her face had turned a reddish, purple color. Her lips, which had turned white, and the left side of her nose were badly burned.
Her husband carried the candle out of the house wearing oven mitts, setting it on the deck to hose down.
Although this sent flames burning as high as their home's gutter, then shattered the glass, he ultimately extinguished the flame.
Several hours later, she went to the emergency room, where medics diagnosed her with first and second degree facial burns.
When the Brawleys contacted Bath and Body Works to report the incident, the company offered to cover Ashley's medical bills and provide a $25 gift card.
Tammy Roberts Myers, vice president of communications at L Brands, the parent company of Bath and Body Works, wrote in a statement: "Our offer of reimbursement for the cost of the product is in no way meant to be compensation for her experience. We are very sorry that this happened and are taking this situation extremely seriously. The safety of our customers is our number-one priority...We hope to work with the Brawleys to gather additional details and are committed to doing what’s right."
Tammy continued saying, "Bath and Body Works candles are safe to use in accordance with the company's instructions: Limit burn time to no more than three to four hours, never extinguish flames with water, keep wicks trimmed to ¼ inch, and never leave a burning candle unattended."
Ashley says that although she left her candle unattended, she'd kept its wicks trimmed and hadn't left it burning for more than four hours before she was burned.