A mother has issued an urgent warning to other families after what was meant to be an enjoyable barbecue on the beach turned into a holiday nightmare as her partner was left with severe burns.
Sarah-Jayne and Jonathan Cameron, both 35, ventured out to the beach to enjoy the sun with their four children and extended family on July 17.
Jonathan stated that they had ignited a couple of "the bigger sized barbecues", which they cooked some food on and thoroughly enjoyed as part of their day out.
They then headed down to the waterfront at Benone Beach for a soak, leaving the barbecues to cool down, reports Belfast Live.
It was a couple of hours later when the dad was attempting to dispose of the barbecues, which he claimed were cold enough to lift up from the sides.
But it was after moving the first barbecue that disaster struck.
He said: "I accidentally stood on the sand where the barbecue had been sat on the sitting for two hours.
"The sand didn't look any different, it just looked like normal sand. It wasn't glowing, there was no steam.
"It took a couple of seconds to realise. When the message hit my brain, I jumped about five feet in the air, and just bolted down to the water."
Jonathan said nobody quite realised what had happened, or why he had ran to the sea.
"They didn't see anything strange or different about the sand either," he added.
The father stayed in the sea for several minutes, trying to cool down his burning feet.
He said: "There was just a massive layer of skin floating. It was still attached to my foot but just floating in the water."
Jonathan then headed back to warn his family that the sand was still hot, but they had realised what had happened.
Doctors have since dressed the father's wounds, but they are yet to confirm how severe the damage is.
His wife said they are "definitely second and most likely third-degree burns".
Jonathan has been left on crutches, and the skin on his foot is "totally gone". But he said "I'm just glad it was me" and not one of his children that was burnt by the sand.
His wife has been using social media to warn other parents about the dangers of having barbecues on the sand.
She said many have thanked her for highlighting an issue they had never considered.
Sarah-Jayne said: "A couple of families have said it has saved their kids' feet just by seeing it on social media.
"My advice would be not to use them on the sand on the beach, because it's a death trap."
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