California woman severely injured after being set on fire at homeless camp

A California woman has been left with horrific injuries after being doused in gasoline then set on fire at a homeless encampment.

Frances Lopez, 33, from Oildale, Kern County, was hospitalized for two months with second and third-degree burns across near one third of her body following the July 11 attack.

She had been visiting a friend in her tent when three people arrived and started fighting with them about money, she said.

“And then the guy goes out again and grabs a gas can and is like, ‘**** it, let’s just light them on fire then,’ and threw the gasoline on us,” Lopez said in an interview with ABC News. 

“When I tried to leave, he pushed me back, and I fell on my friend’s bed. And that’s when the girl lit the flame… and we went up in flames.”

Lopez managed to break free from the inferno, utilizing the “stop, drop, and roll” technique to extinguish the fire before sprinting to a neighboring trailer park for help.

“I was so cold, but I was hot. I felt like I couldn’t breathe,” Lopez told ABC News.

Emergency personnel airlifted her to a specialized burn center in Fresno, where doctors were forced to resuscitate her twice during transport and initial care. The blaze left deep burns across her arms, back, legs, and face.

After undergoing four surgeries during an eight-week hospital stay, Lopez returned home in September to face an arduous recovery. “It’s up to my family to do my care, and it’s a lot of stuff, like really a lot,” she told the news outlet.

The Bakersfield area lacks a local burn center, which has made her recovery a bit more difficult as she must regularly travel back to Fresno for follow-up treatment.

Although Lopez has met with an arson investigator from the Kern County Fire Department and provided information about those involved, she has withheld their names publicly out of fear for her safety because one has been arrested in this case so far. 

“I don’t know why these people haven’t been apprehended yet,” Lopez said to ABC News. 

Without an active public report or case number, Lopez added, securing victim resources and financial aid to cover her mounting medical expenses has proven nearly impossible.

Fearing her attackers could return, Lopez now remains largely confined to her home as she continues physical therapy and holds out hope for justice.

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