Mother in Tarpon Springs dies in fire
Kelly Tracy reports.
Tarpon Springs, FL – A Tarpon Springs family is preparing for the holidays without the woman they call “Sunshine” after a backyard fire pit accident.
Nicole Foltz, a mother of five, died in the fire pit tragedy last November, leaving her son injured.
“Accidents do happen, and they can ruin your life,” said her husband, Jeffrey Fultz.
While Nicole and Jeffrey Foltz were out with their kids and friends on Nov. 14, a fire was lit in the backyard.
Nicole Foltz with her children and husband.
Jeffrey Foltz said the accident happened when the fire went out and his wife tried to reignite it.
“I just went in and as far as I know she decided to try and keep the fire going to keep the fun going and then she put another log on it and there was no flame at all. But, I guess she was just, feeling in the A bit of gas was poured on it and it would re-ignite, which it did. I guess it must have traveled up the airflow to the gas tank and exploded in her hand,” he explained.
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The blast hit Nicole Foltz and their son. They were both taken to Tampa General Hospital.
Jeffrey and Nicole Fultz.
Fultz said his wife suffered burns to 95 percent of her body, while his son suffered second-degree burns to nearly 40 percent of his body.
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Their son spent 12 days in the hospital and only recently returned home.
The Fultz family plans to turn the fire pit into the birdbath Nicole has always wanted.
“He’s been going strong. I’m sure all the staff were very surprised when we got home two days later and he was able to walk,” Jeffrey Fultz said.
The support from the community has been overwhelming, he said.
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“She touched people in ways I couldn’t even fathom,” he shared.
Nicole’s colleagues at the Tarpon Tavern launched a fundraiser for the family.
Nicole Foltz’s colleagues at the Tarpon Tavern, manager and server, launched a fundraiser for the Foltz family that raised $26,000.
Fultz says they’re going to turn the fire pit into a bird bath, something Nicole has been wanting to do in their backyard.
