Burn Victims From Flaming Dessert Transported from Dunedin

Causeway Plaza became a landing pad for burn victims at a Palm Harbor restaurant Saturday night.

Four customers at Palm Harbor's Ozona Blue Grilling Company were burned when a food server ignited a flaming dessert at their table and the fire spread.

Two of the customers received burns that were serious enough for them to be airlifted to Tampa General Hospital.

Palm Harbor Fire Rescue EMS Chief, Bob Markford says it happened just before 9 p.m. Dunedin's Causeway Plaza parking lot, at Causeway and Bayshore boulevards were blocked off just east of Cricketers. 151 proof rum was used to ignite the bananas foster and the burning rum splashed onto the customers.

Four customers who were seated at the table were burned. Markford says two customers were airlifted to Tampa General Hospital. One was a 25 year-old female who suffered severe first- and second-degree burns on 10 percent of her body. The other was a 56 year-old female who suffered from minor burns and respiratory burns from inhaling the heated gas.

Two other customers were burned but refused treatment — a 58-year-old female with burns on her left knee, and a 25-year-old male with burns on his right knee.

Markford says the restaurant staff responded quickly, "Employees grabbed fire extinguishers and extinguished the fire, another employee helped one of the women whose shirt caught fire."

He says it happened at  table near the front door and there was no damage to the restaurant because the fire was extinguished quickly.

Palm Harbor Fire Rescue sent three fire engines and one ladder truck, Dunedin Fire Rescue also responded.

The Ozona Blue Grilling Company is located in the Home Port Marina.