Slow recovery for tiny toes

IT has been over a week since two-year-old Anthony Snyman was severely burnt by sand-covered coals next to the Mzingazi Canal, and yet there has been little to no progress on his injury.

The toddler was enjoying a leisurely walk with his family along the canal on Heritage Day when he stepped on scorching hot sand covering a bonfire held earlier in the day.

Now his mother says ‘only time will tell’ how long it takes for his foot to fully recover from the incident.

‘His wounds are covered in dead skin, which my pharmacist advised me to carefully remove using small nail scissors and leave open at night,’ said Anthony’s mother Annalize Berry.

‘Ultimately, his recovery will depend on when new skin grows over the exposed areas.’

uMhlathuze Fire and Rescue Services Manager Andrew Vumba sternly stated that bonfires on any grounds in Richards Bay are in fact illegal.

‘People are only permitted to start a fire using public braai facilities or their own mobile braai stands,’ he said.

‘And when finishing your braai, you are required to extinguish coals by drenching them in water.’

Members of the community also responded with outrage to the ‘irresponsible’ and ‘selfish’ act of putting out fires using sand and wished Anthony a swift recovery.

26 SEPTEMBER

Toddler burnt by sand-covered coals

A RICHARDS Bay family’s leisurely walk along the Mzingazi Canal on Tuesday was quickly disrupted by loud cries of pain when their two year-old stepped on scorching charcoals hidden under a heap of sand.

According to the young burn victim’s mother Annalize Berry, visitors clearly enjoyed Heritage Day with a braai next to the canal before covering their fire pit with soil.

‘There was no way of knowing that there were red-hot coals buried in the area – it was completely disguised by the sand on top of it,’ says Annalize.

‘It was only when Anthony started screaming that my fiancé Peter and I realised that his foot was burnt.’

After spending the rest of their holiday treating the youngster’s blisters with dressings and ointments, Annalize took her son to the doctor on Wednesday where the accident seemed all too familiar to one of the nurses.

‘A nurse said her own child’s foot was also burnt the same way,’ says Annalize.

According to the uMhlathuze Fire and Rescue Services Manager Andrew Vumba, fires on any grounds in Richards Bay are strictly prohibited.

‘People are only allowed to start a fire using public braai facilities or their own mobile braai stands,’ said Vumba.

‘And when finishing your braai, you are required to extinguish coals by drenching them in water and ensuring that the coals are dead before leaving the area.

‘Sand locks in heat, which keeps coals smouldering for a long time.’

His tip for burn wounds is to place the affected area in cold water.

‘The best is to fill a bucket with cold, but not iced, water and to keep your injury in the water for at least 20 minutes,’ he said.