Campfires are a treasured Aussie camping tradition — but an improperly extinguished campfire had a devastating impact on one family’s life.

While travelling the Dampier Peninsula in 2024, Danella D’Antuoni’s 18-month-old son, Alby, stepped onto what appeared to be an extinguished campfire. However, beneath the surface, hot coals remained, as the fire had not been properly put out by previous campers.

“His bare feet sunk into the hot coals, and he sustained significant burns, including circumferential burns,” Danella said.

Alby’s feet blistered instantly. “We had to pop those blisters in hospital, which was really traumatic,” Danella shared. “We were facing a possible transfer to Perth Children’s Hospital and surgery — it was extremely stressful.”

“Children usually understand a burning fire is dangerous, but in Alby’s case there was no smoke or flames, and his little brain couldn’t identify the danger.”

The common mistake is covering fires with sand or dirt. This traps heat instead of extinguishing it — turning the ground into a hidden oven.

“Just covering a fire with sand, doesn’t actually put it out,” said Department of Fire and Emergency Services Kimberley Superintendent, Leon Gardiner.
“Fires can stay hot underground for up to eight hours — posing a serious risk to people and the environment.”

Danella is now determined and passionate about spreading awareness of the dangers of campfires around children, especially when they are not extinguished properly.

Sadly, this isn’t an isolated case with this happening all too often to young children.

“There is not enough education in this space. Campfires need to be put out with water to minimise the risks — and few people know this.” Danella said. “I hope that by sharing our story, we will help raise awareness around the importance of campfire safety and prevent these sorts of accidents happening in the future.”