Woman's Face Catches Fire As Bath & Body Works Candle Explodes, Lawsuit Filed

The woman lit a “Sweater Weather” candle and leaned in to smell it when it suddenly exploded, sending a blast of flames, debris, and molten wax onto her face and arms.

The explosion caused second-degree burns, melted her eyelashes and singed off her eyebrows.

Source : Canva

A woman has filed a federal lawsuit in the US against Bath & Body Works and a candle manufacturer after a scented three-wick candle allegedly exploded in her face, causing severe burns and permanent scarring.

Renita Francois, 41, lit a “Sweater Weather” candle and leaned in to smell it when it suddenly exploded, sending a blast of flames, debris, and molten wax onto her face and arms, as per the New York Post. She claims her life was "irrevocably changed" following the January 19, 2023, incident at her home in Valley Stream, Long Island.

Woman Suffered Second-Degree Burns In Candle Blast

The explosion caused second-degree burns, melted her eyelashes, singed off her eyebrows, and left her with long-term facial and arm scars. “The pain was instant, unrelenting, and beyond anything she had ever experienced,” Francois stated in her lawsuit. Her husband, who witnessed the incident, described the horrifying moment as he saw his wife’s face “catch fire, crackle, and blister.”

Francois was rushed to the emergency room, but says the trauma continues to affect her both physically and emotionally. Once a confident public speaker during her tenure as executive director of the Mayor’s Action Plan for Neighbourhood Safety under former Mayor Bill de Blasio, she now struggles with her self-image and avoids public appearances.

The lawsuit alleges the candle was manufactured in Canada by Premier Candle Corp. using “substandard materials” and “highly flammable” chemical additives, creating a known risk of explosion. Francois also claims the companies were aware of such dangers, citing a 2016 recall involving similar incidents of candles shattering and causing injuries.

Francois is seeking damages for her physical injuries, emotional trauma, and what she calls a preventable tragedy.