A model who was so badly burned she has to wear a head-to-toe decompression suit has appeared at a parliamentary inquiry to describe how she tried to outrun a massive bushfire.
Turia Pitt was taking part in Racing the Planet’s ultramarathon last year when she became caught in a blaze just outside Kununurra, Australia, on September 2.
The 24-year-old, her face hidden behind a black mask, was giving evidence at the inquiry in West Australia yesterday.
She was one of four competitors who were seriously burnt in the blaze.
She said: “It just got hotter and hotter and hotter and I couldn’t stand it anymore so I jumped up and tried to run and that’s when I got burned, The Australian reported.
Pitt suffered burns to 64 per cent of her body, lost the fingers and thumb from her right hand and spent five months in hospital.
She expects to have between 10 and 15 further operations and wears the black suit keep her burns soft and flat as they heal. She can no longer work and her partner has become her full-time carer.
Pitt and the other three competitors are considering civil action against Racing The Planet, claiming they failed to warn them of the approaching fire or stop them from continuing.
Pitt had not intended to join the race due to the £1,000 fee, but had been persuaded to enter after the fee was waived for some competitors to boost numbers.
A spokesman for Racing The Planet said the company would not comment and declined to say if organisers would give evidence in the inquiry, The Herald Sun reported.
The inquiry members will present their report to Parliament in June.