Texas State student recovers after grease fire accident

SAN MARCOS, Texas – A Texas State University student is recovering at Dell Seton Medical Center after a grease fire over the weekend.

Shea Vandeman, 22, suffered second and third degree burns to her face and chest in a cooking accident on Saturday.

Her uncle, Paul Vandeman, said a pot of oil overheated and caught fire, spreading the fire to her.

“Shea knew what to do and reached for the nearest object to put out the flame. In doing so, the pot tipped over and the hot oil splashed onto her chest,” he said. “She dropped and rolled, which is great because she was able to put out the flames. I think that really helped minimize the damage the burn did.”

Shea will stay in the hospital for at least a week, possibly longer depending on whether she needs surgery.

“She had good days and bad days,” Paul said.

He says for Shea and her family, “it was very traumatic.”

Shea is scheduled to graduate in December and wants to become a teacher.

“She’s been on the Dean’s List every semester. She’s graduating with honors. She had a wonderful future ahead of her. Then this happened and we know that things like this can put a financial burden on people and families. My biggest focus here, aside from emotional support, is figuring out how we can help her and prevent this from becoming a financial burden on her,” Paul said.

Paul has started a GoFundMe campaign to support her recovery journey.

He says she wants to use her experience as a learning experience.

“She wants people to understand the dangers of grease fires,” Paul said.

According to the Austin Fire Department, grease fires are common.

“The first thing you should do if you can get close enough to the stove is turn off the power,” said division manager Mark Bridges. “The best thing to do is put a lid on it. You can put a baking sheet on it. You can put something on it to take the oxygen away… If it spreads to the person, absolutely stop, drop and roll.”

“She knew exactly what to do. She learned how to put out grease fires. You don’t throw water on them. She learned that if there’s a fire, you drop and roll. She did everything right. Grease fires are so dangerous and they also cause really, really dangerous burns on the body,” Paul said.

Click here to go to the GoFundMe campaign.