With scorching temperatures on the rise, the city of Phoenix is witnessing an alarming increase in contact burns due to the intense heat. Robert Woolley, a 72-year-old Phoenix resident, experienced this first-hand when a fall in his backyard led to third-degree burns on a significant portion of his body. Sharing his harrowing encounter, Woolley recounted to FOX 10 Phoenix how a distraction by birds led to his trip and fall onto the hot rocks outside his home. "I got distracted by birds. I tripped on a patio slab and I started to go down," he said. "I put a hand down to catch myself and I was started by how hot and shocked the rocks were. Reflexively I picked my hand back up and then I went all the way down."
Struggling to rise amidst the sweltering heat, Woolley, without realizing his actions would lead to searing pain, reflexively lifted his hands off the burning ground, damaging them severely. The injured senior managed to navigate to his back door and call for help from his wife. "If my wife had not been home, and she wouldn’t had heard me, I would’ve died on my back patio. And I know that," Woolley told FOX 10 Phoenix. This incident, occurring in July 2023, required a five-month hospital stay at the Diane and Bruce Halle Arizona Burn Center due to the severity of the burns sustained on his hands, arms, and torso.
Phoenix's medical community is concerned about the growing number of similar cases. As reported by KTAR News, the Arizona Burn Center has admitted dozens of patients for contact burns just in June. Dr. Kevin Foster, Director of Burn Services, stated, "We’ve had about 50 people who have been admitted for their injuries. Out of those 50 people who have been admitted, four of them have died." Foster also expressed the urgent need to raise awareness about the risk of contact burns, especially with the Fourth of July celebrations, prompting many residents to spend extended periods outdoors.
"Changing the bandages every day felt like being skinned alive," Woolley detailed to KTAR News about his lengthy recovery process, underscoring the far-reaching effects of severe burns, which include complications beyond physical scars. As someone who has undergone the trauma of fighting for his life, Woolley's story serves as a potent reminder to the community about the real dangers presented by Arizona's soaring temperatures. Maricopa County officials reported that a record 645 heat-related deaths occurred last year, and with another hot summer forecasted, public health warnings are more critical than ever as Phoenix confronts yet another potentially record-setting season for heat-related injuries.
