- Phillip Lee suffered severe burns in a Woods Cross explosion at Fastback Moto.
- Lee expressed gratitude to workers who extinguished the fire, possibly saving his life.
- A GoFundMe was started by his grandson to assist with Lee's recovery expenses.
SALT LAKE CITY — It was a moment no one involved will ever forget.
Earlier this week, workers at Fastback Moto in Woods Cross heard an explosion, saw a man on fire, and ran for a fire extinguisher.
"They heard a blast, and they reacted," said Teresa Flach.
Flach is grateful they did, because they most likely saved her husband's life.
"He wouldn't be with us if not for Fastback Moto," she said. "He is burned on his arms, his stomach, his legs. The worst part is his ankle because it's to his bone."
Phillip Lee is currently at the University of Utah Burn Center, where he was taken in critical condition.
His family said he has already gone through one surgery, where cadaver skin was placed onto his burns.
"And he has another surgery coming up," Flach said. "On Monday, they are going to go in and take the cadaver skin off, and they put his own skin over the burns."
Through it all, Flach said her husband has remained positive.
In fact, he recorded a video on a cellphone thanking those who saved him:
"I just thank the people there who were watching over me because with that explosion and they coming in right after, it just helped me so much," he said.
Fire investigators believe the explosion happened when methanol Lee was off-loading ignited after touching an electrical pump.
That flash fire burned off his long hair, something his wife says meant a lot to him culturally.
"He's Native American, and so his hair is very important to him, it is very sacred to him, so to see him for the first time without any hair, was really a shock when I walked in. I wasn't expecting it," Flach said.
Lee was only working to earn extra money to have fun with his grandkids.
That's why one of his grandsons, Sess Curtis, started a GoFundMe donation page* to help his grandfather with expenses.
"I just want to help him out so he doesn't have to get a job and worry about the money," Curtis said. "I love his cooking and how great of a man he is. He is always nice and always trying to help people out."
Flach said part of the reason why her husband is so badly burned is because he tried to put out the fire so it wouldn't damage the business or hurt the workers at Fastback Moto.
"That's the kind of person he is," she said. "He had always been that way."
*KSL.com does not assure that the money deposited into the account will be applied for the benefit of the persons named as beneficiaries. If you are considering a deposit to the account, you should consult your own advisers and otherwise proceed at your own risk.
