A young mother narrowly escaped death after her intoxicated partner allegedly set her on fire. The woman was doused and set ablaze while holding a toddler in her arms. But the three-year-old boy, whom she shared with her partner, was miraculously unharmed.
The terrifying ordeal was captured on surveillance footage in Cuparaque, Brazil. The 22-year-old woman is seen on video engulfed in flames while running.
At some point, the child was no longer in her arms as she bolted across a neighbour’s garden. She headed to the neighbour’s pool with her child trailing closely behind.
Desperate to save her life, she dove into the nearby swimming pool. The fire was extinguished upon impact with the water, sending up a cloud of steam as she submerged herself. A man believed to be the owner of the property with the pool rushed to assist the woman.
The video shows the woman’s frantic effort to survive while her child, confused and scared, follows through the chaos. Authorities say that despite the harrowing scene, the boy was physically unharmed and has since been placed in his grandmother’s care.
According to police reports, the woman’s 31-year-old partner came home intoxicated and demanded she leave their house. However, he became violent before she could react. He allegedly poured gasoline on her and set her alight. Despite her burns and trauma, she managed to give a full account to law enforcement from her hospital bed.
She is currently being treated at Governador Valadares Hospital with burns covering 40% of her body. Her condition remains serious, though stable.
Local reports suggest that even after the woman managed to extinguish the flames, the man tried to attack her again. Her partner attempted to set her on fire a second time before fleeing the scene upon hearing approaching sirens.
Authorities have issued a warrant for the man’s arrest, charging him with attempted homicide. As of now, he remains at large.
