A Caerphilly man has spoken about how his father-in-law saved his life after he was engulfed in a fireball.
Ben Longville, 35, was at the Trecenydd home of David Owens doing some gardening work when the accident happened at around 3pm on Tuesday, August 22.
Ben explained: “It was a stupid thing. I was cutting down hedges for my father-in-law and piled them up and put around four litres of petrol on it.
“Fumes filled the air pockets between the bushes and sticks and when I bent down to light it I just heard a bang and closed my eyes.
“My father-in-law said I was blown back around 20ft through the air and up the garden. I hit the ground and it knocked the wind out of me. I opened my eyes and the first thing I saw was that my face and arms were on fire.”
In shock, Ben said he started screaming and running out of the garden. His quick-thinking father-in-law rugby tackled him to the ground and managed to put the fire out by rolling him.
He said: “One of the doctors asked how far it was to the main road and I said about 20 metres. He told me that if my father-in-law hadn’t stopped me I wouldn’t have made it and probably would have died of shock or a heart attack. He saved my life. If he wasn’t there to do that I would’ve died.”
In the minutes following the explosion and the actions of Mr Owens, Ben said he managed to get out to the front street where neighbours helped by placing wet towels on to him until the emergency services arrived.
He was airlifted to Morriston Hospital in Swansea by the Wales Air Ambulance where he is being treated for his injuries. Doctors say he has 10% severe burns and 20% of minor burns to his face, neck, torso, arms and hands.
The accident has had a devastating effect on Ben and wife Sarah, who got married on BBC Three’s Don’t Tell the Bride in 2012.
Ben is a contract security supervisor and is not entitled to sick pay, while Sarah, 31, is a teaching support worker through an agency.
She has to take time off work without pay to help care for Ben. His recovery could be anything up to six weeks – if not more.
She said: “We have been all over the place since it happened. I have had to drive up and back everyday. Our four-year-old daughter, Millie, has been to see him and she is taking it in her stride – she’s been great.”
The family, who live on the Castle Park estate in Caerphilly, have launched an appeal for help which has already attracted hundreds of pounds of donations.
• To donate visit goo.gl/Ajb9P3.