Teenage girl severely burned in 2017 dies of injuries

Layne Chesney received treatment at Kendall Regional Medical Center

Layne Chesney

FORT PIERCE, Fla. – A Florida teenager who was severely burned at a bonfire on New Year's Eve 2017 has died of her injuries, her family said Friday.

St. Lucie County Sheriff's Office deputies said Layne Chesney, then 14, was at a small get-together with friends on Jan. 31, 2017, in Fort Pierce when she went to pour gasoline on the dying fire. The gas can exploded in the high school freshman's hand, causing third-degree burns over 95 percent of her body.

Recommended Videos



"Layne was called home today by our creator. She fought a hard battle right until the end, never wanting to quit, because quitting was not in her nature," said Devon Hughes, a family friend. "We are heart broken, but remain always grateful that she was a part of our lives and world. We just wish it had been for a lot longer with us here on Earth."

Three other people -- Layne's friend, Hunter Holmes, and his parents, Robert Scott and Stephanie Holmes -- were also burned while trying put out the flames that engulfed Layne.

Layne was initially treated at Lawnwood Medical Center in Fort Pierce, but she was airlifted to Kendall Regional Medical Center in southwest Miami-Dade County because the hospital has a specialized burn unit.

Kendall's burn center is staffed by specialized doctors, nurses and technicians. Patients come from as far away as the Cayman Islands and Haiti to receive treatment.

Chesney said the only part of Layne's body that wasn't burned was the bottom of her feet.