Last night, we told you about Zaela Usher, the 18 month-old from Punta Gorda who was severely severe burnt in an electrical house fire.
Police say her mother, 25 year old Aaronie Gamboa, reported that sometime around 5:00 that evening, an electrical outlet in a bedroom caught on fire, which lit a curtain, which in turn fell on the baby, leaving her with burns to 45% of her body.
Our colleagues from Love TV spoke with Gamboa today, and she said that it was actually a piece of sponge that caught on fire. She risked burn injuries herself to get her baby out of the fire. She asked to appear off camera:
Voice of: Aaronie Gamboa - Mother
"We were at home, me and my two daughters. 1 is 5, and the next baby. They were playing, and I went to the kitchen, as I went in the kitchen, like 1 minute after that, I just heard a scream. I ran into the back room, and when I ran in, I just saw a lot of fire, and she was sitting there on a sponge. The outlet on the wall, I think it caught on fire, and the sponge was on the wall. She just sat there. She didn't move. She was just in the fire, and so, I had to open the sponge and haul her out. That's how I got burned as well because I had to save her. I just ran outside, and my neighbor rushed us to the hospital."
"Right now, she's in [a] critical condition. She's not responding. She's not moving. She's pretty much sleeping [and] sleeping. That's all she is doing right now. I have to fly out 5 o'clock to Texas. I'm not too sure - the doctor said he's not too sure, like she's 50/50. He's not too sure if she's gonna make it, but we're trying our best to hurry fly her out. But, it's taking a lot of time to get the paperworks ready."
As you heard in the interview, there were some difficulties getting the documentation so that she could travel out of the country. As we understand it, the baby was not registered. That was resolved just before midday, but the air ambulance which would have airlifted her to Galveston, Texas, was unavailable at that time. It is expected that she and her mother will be flown out tomorrow morning.
Arrangements have already been made for her to get specialized medical treatment at Shriner's Hospital for Children, and the Shriner's Burn Institute. She will be there for several months.
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