South Australian man Adam Boots has spoken out after his romantic bonfire proposal to Elizabeth Parsalidis turned into a fiery tragedy.
Father-of-two Adam was planning to propose to his partner of 11 years in front of a bonfire at their Clare Valley home in October 2023, but the day took a dangerous turn.
“She was on her way home, I was rushing a bit so I threw the fuel [accelerant] on… because I was rushing, I didn’t think I put that much fuel on,” Adam told The Advertiser.
“I just reached in to light it up and it’s blown up in my face.”
The 28-year-old was shocked, but managed to drive himself to the local hospital. He was in pain but that didn’t stop him from popping the question.
“[The ring] was in my car parked out the front. I asked her to go get the bag out of the car and when she brought it to me, I took it out and did the deed,” he said.
Ms Parsalidis said she’s sad the way the proposal turned out, but happy to be engaged. The couple are now preparing to get married in March 2025 in Clare Valley and are expecting their third child.
Adam spent seven days in hospital and continued treatment for burns to his face, hand, arm, back and right knee for another couple of weeks. He still has scars on his right hand and knee.
Adam has also recently spoken out as part of a Kidsafe Australia campaign to warn others about the dangers of firepits and accelerants during National Burns Awareness Month.
“Don’t use accelerants if you don’t have to and be very vigilant if you are,” he said.
Source: The Advertiser.
