ThatsLife
  • WIN
  • News
  • Real Life
  • Food
  • Lifestyle
  • Pets
  • Your Stars
  • Puzzles
  • Podcasts
  • Video
ThatsLife
  • WIN
  • News
  • Real Life
  • Food
  • Lifestyle
  • Pets
  • Your Stars
  • Puzzles
  • Podcasts
  • Video
Subscribe
There's A Better, Faster Way To Predict Sepsis
Watch 0:37

There's A Better, Faster Way To Predict Sepsis

{headline}

{headline}

Scarred for life by me evil ex

Scarred for life by me evil ex

Camping horror - I woke up with my face on fire

Camping horror - I woke up with my face on fire

Cleaning my car did this!

Cleaning my car did this!

CAR CRASH HORROR: Drink driver crashes his car, loses legs - AND PENIS

CAR CRASH HORROR: Drink driver crashes his car, loses legs - AND PENIS

{headline}

{headline}

Couple reveal 'last photo' from White Island

Couple reveal 'last photo' from White Island

Turia Pitt: 'I lost friends after the fire'

Turia Pitt: 'I lost friends after the fire'

Burn survivor’s courage: ‘My scars don’t define me’

Burn survivor’s courage: ‘My scars don’t define me’

{headline}

{headline}

Turia Pitt announces the birth of her baby boy

Turia Pitt announces the birth of her baby boy

The video every parent needs to see before trick or treating

The video every parent needs to see before trick or treating

Waitress saves boy who was tortured by his parents by getting him to secretly signal for help

Waitress saves boy who was tortured by his parents by getting him to secretly signal for help

Woman reveals outrage as mother-in-law shares her pregnancy before she could

Woman reveals outrage as mother-in-law shares her pregnancy before she could

FESTIVE FAIL: 'I'm allergic to Christmas trees!'

FESTIVE FAIL: 'I'm allergic to Christmas trees!'

I carried my leg out of the bush!

I carried my leg out of the bush!

We tried for one more and got FOUR!

We tried for one more and got FOUR!

  1. Home
  2. News

Campfire warning - 'I became a human fireball'

Brave Jake shares his terrifying story - by Kathryn Lewsey
  • 18 Jul 2020

Jake was celebrating a friend’s birthday when his life changed forever.

Here, Jake Zogoolas, 31, from Melbourne, shares his story in his own words.

Campfire warning - 'I became a human fireball'

Cracking open a beer, I burst out laughing as my friend shared a joke. It was his 21st birthday and he’d thrown a party on his land in Deniliquin, rural NSW.  

As it was winter, I’d wrapped up in two jumpers and a shirt to keep warm.  

We also had a few fires dotted around, which were flickering in huge metal grids.  

As the evening went on, the flames started to fade, so my friend poured some petrol onto the fires to reignite them.  

It wasn’t the safest idea, but after a loud explosion, the fire flickered away safely again.  

But later, I was chatting to a friend when I heard a whoooosh.  

Suddenly, a huge fireball was hurtling towards me, then the hot flames hit me square in the chest. 

Panicking, I remembered to stop, drop and roll.  

 

Jake Zogoolas before the accident

Me before the accident

But because there was petrol, it created an air pocket and the blaze spread to my face. 

I was a human fireball!   

As the hot flames licked my face and chest, I felt a pain like never before.  

After three frantic minutes, someone was pouring water over me and the blaze finally  

went out.   

‘An ambulance is on its way,’ someone said, as a blanket was wrapped around me.  

Looking down, my jumper and pants had burned away – only my shoes and boxers were left.  

Skin was hanging off my left hand too, revealing bone.  

Despite the severe burns, the pain had gone and I felt numb. I even walked from the ambo into the hospital.  

‘How are you feeling?’ a nurse asked.  

‘I actually feel fine,’ I replied.  

‘We’re going to put you in a coma now and airlift you to the Alfred Hospital in Melbourne. But I’ll be honest, you might not survive this,’ she said.  

‘What?’ I gasped.  

‘Time is of the essence, we need to put you under now,’ she said.  

Jake undergoing treatment

Undergoing treatment on my scars

Then everything went black.  

Waking up later, I blinked and saw my parents, Janet and George.  

‘Am I dead?’ I asked.  

‘No, you’ve been in an accident, love,’ Mum said.  

A doctor explained I had third-degree burns to 69 per cent of my body.  

‘You’ve been in a coma for the past three weeks and you died twice. You’re lucky to be here,’ he said.  

‘I can’t believe it,’ I breathed.  

Surgeons had taken skin grafts from my back to help heal the burns. But it wasn’t until a nurse took me for a bath and unravelled the bandages that the reality of my situation hit me.  

My body looked like a crisp chicken.  

The skin from the top of my face, right down to my ankles, was all singed.  

I’d been wearing cheap boxers from Thailand which hadn’t caught alight – so luckily this part of my skin had stayed protected.  

‘You’re going to get through this, we’re here for you,’ Mum reassured me.  

Chatting with friends from the party, everything came flooding back.  

My mate had doused a dying fire with petrol, hoping it would reignite.  

But instead, the fire had started running towards the petrol kettle, creating a fireball.  

Panicking, he had thrown the kettle away and it had landed directly on me.  

My friend had written a letter apologising, but I didn’t blame him.  

I knew it was just a horrible accident.  

Jake Zogoolas now

Me after the accident

After three long months and 15 ops, I was finally discharged from hospital.  

I moved back in with my brother, Paul, and a doctor visited daily to change my bandages.  

I also had to wear a compression suit, and every night Paul would place splints under each arm that helped repair my skin.  

To decrease the scarring, I also trialled steroid injections from a private dermatologist.  

Those, and regular CO2 laser, which I paid for, helped to fade the scars.  

But at home, I couldn’t shake my flat mood.  

Before the accident, I’d loved the gym and my job in finance.   

Now, my confidence was completely knocked.  

Mum had always been into herbal teas and she insisted I try a detox one.  

After a few weeks, I truly felt like my mood had lifted.  

‘If money was no object, what would you want to do in life?’ Mum asked one day.  

‘I would love to create a foundation for burns survivors who can’t afford treatment like I did,’ I said.  

Janet Roach and Jake Zogoolas

Mum and me with our Raw Essentials Tea

She came up with an idea to start selling natural tea blends.  

‘The money we make can support the foundation,’ she explained.  

So we created Raw Essentials Teas and then The Roach Foundation.  

The first person we helped was my friend Brittany, who  I had met in the burns unit. 

It’s been incredibly rewarding to help those who have been through a similar experience to myself.  

Now, 10 years after the accident, I feel happier and more confident than ever.  

I’m still close with my mate who poured the petrol on the fire and I don’t blame him at all.  

I’ve chosen not to name him, as he’s already been through so much emotional pain from the accident. 

I want people to know the consequences of putting dangerous accelerants onto a fire. 

But most importantly, that no matter how bad life can feel, there is always a light at the end of the tunnel.  

Time heals everything and things always get better. ● 

As told to Kathryn Lewsey 

To help, visit Roach Foundation 

  • News
  • Real Life
Kathryn Lewsey
Kathryn Lewsey
Kathryn is a Features Writer for that's life!

That's Life Mega Monthly! -SAVE UP TO 20%

LESS THAN $4.17 AN ISSUE - TRY IT TODAY!

Subscribe Now
That's Life Mega Monthly!

That's Life Mega Monthly! -SAVE UP TO 20%

LESS THAN $4.17 AN ISSUE - TRY IT TODAY!

Subscribe Now
That's Life Mega Monthly!

Recommended to you

There's A Better, Faster Way To Predict Sepsis
Watch 0:37

There's A Better, Faster Way To Predict Sepsis

{headline}

{headline}

Scarred for life by me evil ex

Scarred for life by me evil ex

Camping horror - I woke up with my face on fire

Camping horror - I woke up with my face on fire

Cleaning my car did this!

Cleaning my car did this!

CAR CRASH HORROR: Drink driver crashes his car, loses legs - AND PENIS

CAR CRASH HORROR: Drink driver crashes his car, loses legs - AND PENIS

{headline}

{headline}

Couple reveal 'last photo' from White Island

Couple reveal 'last photo' from White Island

Turia Pitt: 'I lost friends after the fire'

Turia Pitt: 'I lost friends after the fire'

Burn survivor’s courage: ‘My scars don’t define me’

Burn survivor’s courage: ‘My scars don’t define me’

{headline}

{headline}

Turia Pitt announces the birth of her baby boy

Turia Pitt announces the birth of her baby boy

The video every parent needs to see before trick or treating

The video every parent needs to see before trick or treating

Waitress saves boy who was tortured by his parents by getting him to secretly signal for help

Waitress saves boy who was tortured by his parents by getting him to secretly signal for help

Woman reveals outrage as mother-in-law shares her pregnancy before she could

Woman reveals outrage as mother-in-law shares her pregnancy before she could

FESTIVE FAIL: 'I'm allergic to Christmas trees!'

FESTIVE FAIL: 'I'm allergic to Christmas trees!'

I carried my leg out of the bush!

I carried my leg out of the bush!

We tried for one more and got FOUR!

We tried for one more and got FOUR!

ThatsLife
  • Gold Club
  • Online Entry FAQ
  • About Us
  • Subscribe Today
  • Contact Us
  • Terms
  • Competitions
  • Privacy Policy
ThatsLife Magazine Subscribe
  • Gold Club
  • Online Entry FAQ
  • About Us
  • Subscribe Today
  • Contact Us
  • Terms
  • Competitions
  • Privacy Policy

Brands

  • New Idea
  • Who
  • Girlfriend
  • Practical Parenting

Our Network

  • Better Homes and Gardens
  • BHG Shop
  • marie claire
  • Instyle
  • Beauty Crew
  • New Idea food
  • Women's Weekly Food
  • Bounty Parents
  • Home Beautiful
  • All Recipes
  • 7plus
  • 7News
  • Health Engine
  • Starts at 60
  • The West Australian
  • Perth Now
  • Airtasker
  • Society One
© 2021 Are Media PTY LTD
Get more from

Magazine Subscription Offer

That's Life Mega Monthly! -SAVE UP TO 20%

Shop This Offer
That's Life Mega Monthly!