Aussie dad's horror incident while cooking for daughter: 'So shocked'
The Newcastle teacher was making dinner for his little girl Bella, when the frying pan he was cooking with suddenly caught fire. Matthew was wearing a highly flammable hoodie while he cooked, which burst into flames, leaving him with significant burns to 40 per cent of his body.
A neighbour who spotted the blaze and called Triple-Zero before he was airlifted to Royal North Shore Hospital, and underwent surgery on his 32nd birthday to treat the devastating burns.
Hugh Bright, Matthew's devastated dad, told Yahoo News the family are in complete shock. "If I focus on what happened last week, I cry," Hugh said.
"If I think into the future about what might be, I cry... all of us are so shocked."
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It's understood that four-year-old Bella was the only one home with her dad at the time of the incident. When emergency services arrived, it's understood the little girl led the crews to her dad in the kitchen.
"We don't really know what happened," Hugh admitted.
It's unclear whether Bella saw what happened in the kitchen, with only one small scorch mark on the kitchen cupboard suggesting the fire didn't spread; however, the family are keeping a close eye on the four-year-old.
Matthew has remained in the intensive care unit since last week and is due to undergo another surgery on Monday to treat his burns. His close-knit family has rallied around Bella and his partner Claire, who now face financial uncertainty with mounting medical costs. A GoFundMe page has been launched to alleviate some of the money concerns the family now faces.
Matthew has been described as "quiet and passionate" — a teacher who adores looking after his students and spending time with his own daughter.
"He really is a great father... they are constantly doing things together, he just adores Bella," Hugh said.
"We're just taking one day at a time."
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