Pawpa?s doctor, Phillip Castillo, says that he sustained burns to his right arm, the right side of his face, his ear, under his chin and his chest, but mostly to his back.
Castillo said that there are three ways to classify burns – moderate, profound and superficial, and ?superficial? means that it was just the top layer of the skin, which holds water.
Pawpa is expected to be in the hospital for 5-7 days, depending on how he reacts to medical treatment. Today he was placed under anesthesia to enable doctors to remove the skin, because the procedure is very painful. When the skin is removed, it leaves a raw area.
Dr. Castillo explained that when Pawpa was being admitted, he told them that he was trying to take off his shirt after it caught fire. While hastily trying to take the shirt over his head in a backwards motion, the burning cloth stuck to his back, which is why his back has more burns than his chest.
Amandala tonight spoke with Pawpa?s wife, Ruth Mena, who said that she received the news shortly before 8:00 last night, when her husband called her at home. Ruth said Pawpa told her that he was playing with a lighter (she could not confirm if it was a $1 or $2 lighter; a $1 lighter gets overheated and explodes much faster than a $2 lighter) at the home of his uncle, Tony Noralez. The house is located in the Bluefield area of Dangriga.
The lighter, said Pawpa, blew up and caused his shirt to catch fire.
?It happened so quickly,? Pawpa told her. The United Democratic Party (UDP) T-shirt that he was wearing has been destroyed.
Pawpa was rushed over to the hospital after his relatives took a cloth and smothered the fire.
This afternoon, shortly after 2:00, Pawpa came out of ?partial surgery,? which is so called because the only thing done was to remove dead skin, which looked like scales on his back and on other parts of the body.
Ruth said that Pawpa is doing much better tonight, and was given the okay by his doctors to eat. She added that the doctors have not given a date for Pawpa?s release, but said that the wounds will take a time to heal.
Nomination Day for the town council elections is Tuesday, February 14, just five days away. The trouble is that the candidates need to appear at the nomination offices personally, and it is not certain whether Pawpa will be fit to be released from the hospital.
His doctor said that he would be hospitalized for at least 5-7 days. Hon. Dean Barrow, UDP Party Leader, according to Channel 7 News tonight, said that if it becomes a problem, he would try to ?work something out? with the election authorities.