Australian influencer Dominique Elissa narrowly escapes death after sauna explosion in backyard
Australian influencer and model Dominique Elissa narrowly escaped death after a sauna exploded in the backyard of a property she was staying at.
The 30-year-old revealed she was staying at a house 30 minutes from Byron Bay, had no reception, no close neighbours and was just minutes from entering the sauna when it blew up.
'I had the most crazy, traumatising, near-death experience the other night,' Ms Elissa said in a TikTok video.
'I had put the sauna on. . . I was in it the night before, and I thought I'll just cook dinner quickly and then go in, in 40 minutes, which is what you do for a lot of saunas, you let them heat up.'
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Ms Elissa explained she had just finished eating and was about to put her bathers on for the sauna when she heard a huge bang.
'I hear 'boom' and I look up and the entire sauna exploded,' she said.
'It was like a 10 to 15-metre-high explosion, all the power went out, my phone was about to die, I have no reception.
'I am screaming 'Help! Somebody help me', like it was a horror movie.'
Ms Elissa was able to dial 000 but by the time emergency services arrived, the whole sauna had burnt to the ground.
'It was the most horrific thing to experience because I was a few minutes from going into that sauna.'
She said the incident has proven to her how precious life is and she is grateful to have escaped without injuries.
'Life is fragile, you have no idea what curveballs life is going to throw at you. It was the craziest 24 hours of my entire life.'
'I just feel so grateful to be alive.'
Ms Elissa's year has not been easy, with her mother passing away in March after a devastating battle with cancer.
Just two weeks before her mum's death, Ms Elissa held a wedding at the hospital so she could celebrate her marriage to her partner Tom Bull while her mum was still alive.
She said it was the best decision she ever made.
The couple will also hold another wedding in Italy later this year.
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