A U.S. Army soldier from Fontana is struggling to survive after being severely burned in a freak accident while serving in Afghanistan.
Staff Sgt. Robert Thomas, 24, suffered burns to 90 percent of his body in an April 21 explosion, family members told NBC4.
"The only thing that's not burned is the top of his head and feet," said Patty Valdez, the veteran’s grandmother.
Valdez said the Army is still investigating the explosion but she has received information from her grandson's fellow soldiers who witnessed the blast.
According to witnesses, Thomas noticed a small fire erupt near several gasoline drums. He told members of his unit to run as he tried to move one of the drums away from the blaze.
"The gas drum blew up," Valdez said.
Thomas is recovering at Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio, Texas. His family, including wife Kristina and 18-month-old daughter Hailey, are with him at his bedside.
A donation account has been set up to help Thomas’ family stay with him during his recovery. The fund is with Bank of America, account no. 325021709447.
Family members said that in a tragic twist, some of the men Thomas saved during the gasoline explosion were killed last weekend by a roadside bomb in Afghanistan.
The five victims of that attack were based at Fort Bliss in El Paso, Texas.