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Renita Francois, a former City Hall official, suffered severe burns from a Bath & Body Works candle explosion on January 19, 2023. She is suing Bath & Body Works.
Bath & Body Works Faces Lawsuit After Candle Explodes In Woman’s Face, Causes Serious Injuries. (Instagram/bathandbodyworks)
Renita Francois, a former City Hall official, was injured when a Bath & Body Works candle allegedly exploded in her face on January 19, 2023, in Valley Stream, Long Island, according to the New York Post.
Francois lit a three-wick “Sweater Weather” candle from Bath & Body Works. When she leaned in to smell it, the candle exploded. The blast left her with severe burns on her face and arms.
While sharing her dismay, she said that she felt a “shockwave of fire and debris directly into her face.” The explosion left her skin “sizzling,” burned off her eyebrows, melted her eyelashes, and left her with serious scars.
Francois described the pain as “instant and unrelenting,” saying it was worse than anything she had ever experienced.
McEvans, her husband, saw what happened. He “witnessed his wife’s face catch fire, crackle, and blister as molten wax burned her skin,” the couple explained in their lawsuit.
After the incident, Francois, a mother of two, was rushed to the emergency room with second-degree burns. She stated that the burns have left her with scars and severely impacted her confidence, leaving it “fractured.”
Francois faced “an emotional and psychological battle, an assault on her self-perception, and a daily reminder of a tragedy that could have been prevented,” the lawsuit added.
Francois has filed a lawsuit in Brooklyn Federal Court against Bath & Body Works and Premier Candle Corp., the manufacturer of the candle. She alleges that the $17 candle, made in Canada, “with substandard materials, improper safety measures, and inadequate testing, creates an unreasonable risk of explosion.” She also claims chemical additives made the wax “highly flammable.”
Francois alleged that Bath & Body Works was aware of potential candle dangers as far back as 2016, citing a recall for “documented cases of candle explosions, glass shattering, and injuries caused by molten wax and fire hazards.”
Before the candle explosion, Francois worked as executive director for the Mayor’s Action Plan for Neighbourhood Safety and frequently spoke at events. However, she now struggles with public appearances, saying she “dreads stepping in front of a room.”
She shared, “Before the explosion, Renita was bold, fearless, and effortless in commanding an audience. Today, she walks into public meetings, panel discussions, and leadership summits knowing that her scars speak before she does.”
In the lawsuit, Francois is asking for damages but says the case is about more than money. “This lawsuit is not just about compensation—it is about accountability. It is about ensuring that corporations that prioritise profit over consumer safety do not escape responsibility for the harm they cause,” she said in her lawsuit.
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