ST. PETERSBURG, Fla., June 13 (UPI) -- A flaming banana Fosters dessert sent two women to the hospital, one with first- and second-degree burns, officials in Palm Harbor, Fla., said.
The women, members of a family who had just finished dinner at the Ozona Blue Grilling Co. in Palm Harbor, were taken by helicopter to a nearby hospital, the St. Petersburg Times reported.
Two male members of the family were burned on their knees, but reportedly refused treatment.
Bananas Foster is a dessert in which bananas are sauteed in butter, and then 151-proof rum is added to the pan and lit. It is often served over ice cream.
The server was preparing the dessert table side Saturday evening when the flaming rum spilled onto the diners.
"Obviously, it was a terrible accident," said Debbie Fragale, an Ozona Blue owner. "But my main concern is for the well-being of that young lady and everyone who was hurt, and our thoughts and prayers are with everyone who was involved. It was just very unfortunate."
Officials didn't provide the victims' names. But a 25-year-old woman was in a hospital for treatment of her burns. The other woman, 56, was treated and released for what officials called respiratory burns.
