First date ends in HORROR as woman and man blown out of house by massive gas explosion

A brave woman has spoken out about suffering third degree burns on a first date

A COUPLE have been through a world of horror together but lived to tell their tale.

 

Tiara Del Rio, 22, and Beau Zimbro, 33, were on their first date when disaster struck and they were left fighting for their lives after candles they lit to create a romantic atmosphere triggered a massive gas explosion.

The pair were at Tiara's home in Phoenix, Arizona, USA, when she lit a scented candle - instantly an explosion occurred.

Beau was blown to the floor but managed to crawl over and save Tiara, who took the force of the explosion.

She said: "While he was working at the property we became close. We were at the house when I lit a scented candle.

 

••• WARNING GRAPHIC IMAGES BELOW •••

 

"I wanted to make the room smell nice. But as I held it in my hand and flicked a lighter with the other, it blew up in my face.

"Suddenly I was on fire. I panicked and started to run around, inhaling smoke as it filled the room."

When she later woke up in hospital, it took Miss Del Rio a while to recall the disaster.

"I remembered an explosion, then someone throwing me out the window," she said. "I remember the room had been filled with smoke. We couldn't see each other.

 

 

Beau picked me up, threw me out the house and told me to drop to the floor

Tiara Del Rio

"Beau picked me up, threw me out the house and told me to drop to the floor. Moments later he came out and rolled me on the ground, to put out the flames.

"When we were outside the house, I spotted policemen. They hosed us down, gave us drinks of water and asked how we were."



The youngster didn't realise there was a gas leak in her garden before striking the lighter

Numb and shocked, Tiara told the emergency workers she was okay - but the same could not be said for Beau, who was screaming hysterically.

He was airlifted to hospital. Tiara said: "There was no time to say goodbye as he was whisked away."

Tiara Del Rio took the force of the explosion after lighting a candle

Taken in a second helicopter to the Maricopa Medical Centre, in Phoenix, Arizona, she finally caught sight of her reflection for the first time.

As she was wheeled in to hospital, Tiara could hear Beau screaming for her before falling silent.

 

Tiara was on a first date with Beau - whom she's still dating

The next thing she remembers is waking up in bed surrounded by her family – including her brother who should have been serving in Afghanistan. Doctors had prepared them for the worst.

"I'd been in a coma for three weeks and it was now November," she said.

Tiara, now 22, suffered third degree burns to 53 percent of her body following the explosion, while Beau's arms were horrifically injured.

Her face, scalp, hands, back, legs and arms had all been burnt to a crisp.

Surgeons used a pioneering technique called ReCell to spray on a new layer of skin.

Skin from Tiara's back was also grafted onto her legs, meaning an angel wings tattoo she had on her shoulder blades is now dotted over her body.

 

The pair were both airlifted to hospital and treated for months in the specialist unit

The blast, which had been caused by a gas leak in the garden, had seriously damaged Tiara's legs and left her feeding from a tube. But, with the aid of physiotherapy, she learnt to walk and eat again.

But remarkably – after 22 operations and repeated skin grafts – Tiara and Beau are still together.

Speaking about Beau's heroics, Tiara said: "He saved my life although it was not the first date we had planned.

"We've been through so much but are still together."

She added: "It was one hell of a first date."