Ciaran was treated for his severe burns at a hospital in Queensland. Photo: Facebook

An Irishman woke up 'engulfed in flames' after spending a night camping in Australia in June.

Ciaran Carolan (28) from Michelstown in Cork was working at a Rodeo in North West Queensland on June 30 when he woke in the middle of the night to find his sleeping bag was on fire.

“I woke up and I was engulfed in flames. There was a spark from the camp fire and it caught my sleeping bag,” Ciaran told Independent.ie.

The ambulance on site at the rodeo took Ciaran to the nearest town which was 200km away and he was airlifted by the Royal Flying Doctor Service to Brisbane where he is now starting recovery.

“I have one skin graft on my back and burns on my buttocks, legs and feet. My burns are so bad that I needed surgery and might need another one on my foot,” he said.

With his family on the other side of the world his friends have set up a GoFundMe page to fly them over to be with him and cover his medical costs.

“I have no idea how much my hospital costs will be but my physio is $90 an hour.

“I won’t be able to return to work for eight months to a year. I’m not even dreaming about going back to work until Next March,” he said.

Ciaran thanked everyone who has helped and supported him.

You can donate to Ciaran’s cause at: https://www.gofundme.com/irishrecovery

Online Editors