Advertisement
Home REAL LIFE

Aussie hero: ‘I was a human fireball!’

A lawnmower landed Markeeta in hospital with severe burns.
  • When Markeeta Harwood, 45, from Hughenden, Qld, was helping her hubby fix their trusty lawnmower, she never expected to end up in hospital.
  • As her hubby yanked the pull cord, a spark shot out and engulfed Markeeta in flames turning her into a human fireball.
  • Coming to his mum’s rescue and dialling triple zero, Michael, 12, is known around town as the ‘Hughenden hero’.

WARNING: Graphic content below.

Advertisement

Here Markeeta tells her story in her own words.

Can you help me clean the spark plug?’ my husband Barry, 59, called from the backyard.

‘The mower’s acting up again.’

‘Be back in a minute, darling,’ I told our son Michael, 12, who I’d been homeschooling inside.

Advertisement

It was a sunny afternoon in May 2024, and I changed into a cotton singlet, tied my hair up, put on tinted glasses, and headed out.

‘Okay, let’s give it a try.’

Barry was hunched over the petrol mower.

While he checked the fuel tap, I removed the spark plug, and scrubbed and cleaned it as I’d done hundreds of times before.

‘Should be fine now,’ I said, crouching to slip the plug back in.

Advertisement

‘Okay, let’s give it a try,’ Barry said, yanking the pull cord.

The mower sputtered.

Photo of woman in hospital with facial burns
I had second-degree burns on my face chest, and shoulders. (Credit: Supplied)

Suddenly, a spark shot out, followed by an orange fireball.

Advertisement

In an instant my long hair was on fire.

‘Oh god!’ Barry cried, trying to smother the flames with his gloved hands.

My heart raced.

I lunged for the hose, turned it on, and doused myself.

Advertisement

‘Michael, call triple-zero!’

Water poured over me, cooling the searing heat.

I didn’t scream as I didn’t want to alarm Michael, who suffered from anxiety, had ADHD, and was on the autism spectrum.

Instead I controlled my breathing to stop my heart rate spiking, something I’d learned from medical TV shows.

‘Michael, call triple-zero!’ Barry cried.

Advertisement
The burns on my shoulder (Credit: Supplied)

Michael was in the house, playing with our dog Maggie.

Shocked, he dialled emergency, relaying that I’d suffered facial burns from a fireball.

The ambulance arrived and, as I was moved from under the cool water to the stretcher, pain seared through me.

Advertisement

‘I’m scarred for life.’

Seeing blisters forming on my face, Michael’s eyes widened.

‘I’m going to be okay,’ I reassured him, as I was loaded into the ambulance.

At Hughenden hospital, I was diagnosed with first-degree burns on my forearm and second-degree burns on my face, chest, and shoulders.

Taking a selfie, I was horrified. I’m scarred for life, I thought.

Advertisement
Photo of mother and son receiving bravery award after lawnmower accident
Me and Michael with his award (Credit: Queensland Ambulance Service)

Docs inserted a cannula in my arm and applied wet gauze to my burns before the Royal Flying Doctor Service airlifted me to Townsville Hospital, which was better equipped for my injuries.

There I was pumped with painkillers, and had numbing antiseptic cream applied to my burns.

Thankfully I didn’t need skin grafts and after three days, I was discharged with burn cream to apply. 

Advertisement

‘It was just an accident.’

Barry and Michael came to pick me up.

‘I’m so sorry, honey,’ Barry cried.

‘It was just an accident,’ I assured him.

We’d worked on that old mower many times with no issues.

Advertisement

Back home, I turned to Michael. ‘You’re my hero,’ I told him. ‘You stayed calm and called for help.’

Photo of woman three months after lawnmower burn accident
I’m so lucky my burns weren’t a lot worse (Credit: Supplied)

The whole town was calling him ‘Hughenden’s little hero’.

Daniel Ryland, the operator who took Michael’s call, nominated him for a Queensland Ambulance Service Bravery Award.

Advertisement

Three months later, Barry and I travelled with Michael to Townsville to meet Daniel and receive the honour.

‘You were very brave and stayed calm,’ he said to Michael.

We were so proud of him.

Barry smashed the mower and bought a new one.

Advertisement

Six months on, my burns have healed well.

Doctors told me I was very lucky.

If I’d had on my polyester top and hadn’t put my hair up, the burns would’ve been worse.

And my glasses had saved my eyesight.

Advertisement

However, I steer clear of mowers these days.

Related stories


Advertisement