Latest news with #AlexandraWelsh
Daily Mail
3 days ago
- Health
- Daily Mail
California woman, 18, is disfigured in freak accident involving s'mores on a tabletop firepit
A California woman's been left disfigured after flames 'exploded' in her face while making s'mores over an outdoor firepit. Viana Poggi, 18, was enjoying a fun summer night on July 6 with her cousin Alaina Arbiso when chaos unfolded before their eyes. While using a cement tabletop firepit, flames suddenly blew toward Poggi, leaving her with blistering burns on her face and arms. Her cousin Arbiso said all she could remember was how fast everything happened in that terrifying moment, before she pushed her relative into a nearby pool. Arbiso said: 'Within, like, a millisecond, you don't even see it coming - you have no time to react. It just happened.' After pushing Poggi into the water, Arbiso then grabbed a hose and sprayed down the flames spreading on the table. Another family member was also hit by the dangerous flames, but only Poggi was severely injured. When she got to a local burns center, staff asked Poggi about what was used to fuel the firepit. Poggi said: 'Even when I got to the ER, I just said I got hit by fire, and they asked me, "Was it rubbing alcohol?" Because it's so common for people to be burned that way.' A friend of hers Alexandra Welsh, who's a trauma nurse in the emergency room, was shocked after seeing someone she knew arrive with such intense injuries. Welsh said: 'I work at a trauma center, so I see a lot of traumatic injuries come in, but it is so different when it is someone who you think of as a little sister.' Despite the freak accident impacting her life, Poggi, who's been left with scars and burn marks, decided to make the best of it. She documented her recovery on TikTok, where she showed herself wearing a hospital gown when she was still covered in bandages. Poggi said: 'I always remember it could have been worse. I try to keep a good attitude.' The teen's due to start college soon at the University of San Francisco but, because of the burns, she's also preparing for several procedures to help with her recover. A GoFundMe page was set up by Arbiso to help her cousin with medical expenses while she embarked on the next chapter of her life. Arbiso wrote about Poggi: 'With the big move coming, multiple reconstruction surgeries, and a long emotional/physical recovery in her foreseeable future, [she's] going to need all the help she can get.' Poggi hoped that her unfortunate experience would make other people think twice before they used specific types of firepits. She said: 'I really want people to know the danger of using an alcohol-fueled pit because they are so common. We owned, I think, three of them.' There were several types of tabletop alcohol-fueled firepit available to buy online and in stores. Some were fueled by gel fuel, wood, wood pellets, and propane. Last year, multiple types of the vessel were recalled by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission. The recall on the popular brand Colsen's pits warned that 'alcohol flames can be invisible and lead to flame jetting when refilling the firepit reservoir'.
CTV News
05-06-2025
- Automotive
- CTV News
Tariff hike tests Calgary-based van builder, but company finds ways to keep rolling
Yama Vans in Calgary are a small business with growing demand on both sides of the border trying to navigate the impact of Trump's Tariffs on their growing business. As the U.S. doubles tariffs on Canadian steel and aluminum to 50 per cent, a Calgary-based van conversion company faces rising material costs and growing uncertainty about cross-border business – but the small manufacturer is working quickly to adapt. Yama Vans, located in Calgary's Manchester industrial area, has been retrofitting Mercedes-Benz Sprinter vans into custom-built, off-grid camper vehicles since 2018. Co-founders, Patrick Bruns and Alexandra Welsh, say they have a large customer base in the United States ranging from as far as Texas, Florida, and New York. Increasing tariffs make it a challenge as 40 per cent of materials used to retrofit their vans come from south of the border. 'Roughly half of those materials are now subject to these tariffs and that adds anywhere from $5,000 to $12,000 to each van — which is a serious cost increase for a small manufacturer like us,' said Bruns. Yama Vans The Alberta-built recreation vehicle starting at $200,000 is inspired by a Swiss Army Knife equipped with a Murphy bed that folds away for gear hauling, integrated heating and insultation, pop up tent space, storage for recreational items and modular seating for up to 10 people. (Mark Villani, CTV Calgary) 'But we've been adapting to the changes. On the production team, we're trying to be as efficient as we can, to soften that blow on the supply chain side and trying to find alternative suppliers in Canada, ordering more things in house to kind of reduce that cost too.' Gear Bus Even despite an instability in steel and aluminum prices, Yama Vans is also moving forward with the launch of its new modular van called the 'Gear Bus.' The Alberta-built recreation vehicle starting at $200,000 is inspired by a Swiss Army Knife equipped with a Murphy bed that folds away for gear hauling, integrated heating and insultation, pop up tent space, storage for recreational items and modular seating for up to 10 people. Yama Van, June 5, 2025 Yama Vans is offering fixed-price quotes to customers in Canada and the U.S. despite the volatility of fluctuating material costs created by Trump's Tariffs. (Mark Villani, CTV Calgary) 'The decision to build this model really stemmed from the demand in the market and people coming to us trying to solve a problem,' said Welsh. 'Of course, there's the negative side of things that's hard to deal with, like the increased cost, the uncertainty with the consumer, but I would say on the positive side of things, people are really looking to support Canadian business.' Fixed-price quotes Yama Vans is also offering fixed-price quotes to customers in both Canada and the U.S., absorbing the risk of fluctuating material costs in a move the company hopes will provide some stability in an uncertain climate. 'We've had really great response about it so far, and we've sold a few units even before we launch,' added Welsh. The Gear Bus will officially be unveiled at a launch party this upcoming Saturday June 7 from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. at the Yama Vans office located at 334 53 Ave SE Unit 100. For more about Yama Vans, go here.
