It seems like no one can catch a break this summer.
The extreme heat has landed droves of people in the hospital. Even refreshing activities like going to the beach have people cautious.
Whether it be the dangers of sea lice or suffering second-degree burns from stepping barefoot on a deck, people are questioning the safety of their surroundings.
Now there's something else people should be worried about after a family trip in Oregon landed a three-year-old girl in the hospital.
"I saw the skin on her foot falling off."
Heather Switzer and her three daughters were looking forward to having a good time by the Oregon coast, until things took a turn for the worst.
Her toddler, Kalani, was trying to get her kite to fly when her feet suddenly sank into the sand.
Suddenly, she started to scream, but luckily her mother was close by to scoop her up.
"It was then that I saw the skin on her foot falling off. I ran her to the bathroom for clean water and called 911," she wrote in her warning message on Facebook.
The mother was confuses as to why her daughter's foot could have gotten burned when the weather wasn't that hot to begin with.
"When I initially heard her scream, for about two seconds as I was running, I thought the sand may have been too hot. But then reality kicked in, it was maybe 63 degrees out with overcast," she told CafeMom. "The sand was cool."
After seeing a doctor, she finally figured out the real reason why her daughter was in excruciating pain.
"Once we got to the hospital they told us this was the third child they had seen for a foot burn. I guess it's common for people to cover their fire embers/fires with sand. This makes a trap for children or anyone for that matter," Heather wrote in her post.
Kalani had stepped into a freshly covered fire, and because it was a windy day, they didn't notice the smoke.
Raising awareness
The concerned mother's viral post has been shared more than 65,000 times on Facebook, and is sending an important message to anyone who spends time at the beach.
"Please be cautious when on the beach. And if you are someone who has covered your fire with sand please PLEASE use water next time," she wrote. "This could have been so much worse, as my kids love to jump in the sand."
Heather also has another warning for people who get burned at the beach:
"If you even experience a burn or have to help someone that has just been burned, your gut reaction may be to run to the ocean and submerge the burn. Do not do this. Find clean water and treat the burn just like an open wound. Ocean water can contain bacteria like Staphylococcus Which can enter the blood steam through an open wound."
Heather also gave an update on Kalani's condition, saying that she's "healing well."
Thousands of people commented on the post and praised the mother for raising awareness.
"I don't know if it was this bad but I was burnt like this as a child too. It was from our own fire that we had covered with sand. I think it isn't necessarily something that everyone thinks about. Thank you for sharing this awful experience. There is plenty of water at the beach to put out fires. Maybe people will see this and being aware will change the outcome for someone," someone commented.
"This happened to my daughter in Oregon last year on vacation. She climbed up on a big log that had been smoldering inside and it burned her feet. Poor baby hope it heals fast," another wrote.
Share Heather's story to raise awareness about the dangers of not putting out a bonfire properly!
[H/T: CafeMom]
