‘Exploded': Influencer's horror near-death sauna ordeal
Aussie model Dominique Elissa has detailed how a peaceful escape turned into a nightmare when she nearly lost her life in a terrifying freak accident.
The 30-year-old influencer shared a shocking story of the near-death experience that happened in the backyard of a house she was staying in.
She posted a video on TikTok this week, explaining how she narrowly escaped death in a clip that has over 80,000 views.
The podcast host was staying at a house 30 minutes outside Byron Bay, where she was set to host a wellness retreat the next day.
But her tranquil getaway was ruined when a sauna on the property exploded just moments before she was about to use it.
'I didn't think I was going to talk about this, but I had a crazy, traumatising, near-death experience the other night,' Elissa said.
She had turned on the sauna to heat up while cooking dinner, planning to use it afterwards as she had done the night before.
'I finish eating dinner and I'm about to put my swimmers on to go in the sauna, and I hear 'boom',' she explained.
'I look up and the entire sauna exploded.'
The blast sent debris flying 10 to 15 metres into the air, causing a power cut in her remote accommodation.
'My phone was about to die, and I had no reception,' she said. 'I was screaming, 'Help, someone help me!' It was like a horror movie'.
She managed to dial triple-0, but emergency services were unable to save the sauna.
'(It) burned to the ground,' she said. 'It was the most horrific thing to experience because I was only a few minutes from going into that sauna'.
'I'm so grateful to be alive, so grateful to be here,' the wellness enthusiast added.
Comments from her 73,000 TikTok followers quickly flooded in.
'This is straight out of a Final Destination movie,' one follower wrote, while another added, 'new fear unlocked'.
Many also believed that Elissa's late mother, Odile Faludi, who passed away in March after a battle with stage four cancer, was watching over her.
'OMG Dom, life is so precious, your mum was there watching over you,' one follower commented, echoing the thoughts of many.
Others shared their shock that this could even happen.
'I have never heard of this before,' one person admitted.
'Never going to a sauna again,' another claimed.
Saunas can explode and burn down for a number of reasons.
Malfunctions in the heater or thermostat can lead to electrical fires, as can poor design – like installing a heater too close to timber walls or ceilings.
Leaving towels or other flammable items on or near the heater can also cause them to ignite quickly.
While uncommon, some saunas use hot rocks that have internal cracks. If water becomes trapped within these cracks, it can heat up and cause the rocks to explode.
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