Local burn survivor, her mother speak out after house blew up 23 years ago

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Author, advocate, and philanthropist Andrea Grant is well known in Jacksonville and across the country after she survived a house explosion on Aug. 14, 2001. Wednesday marks 23 years since the tragic day that changed her life.

Grant and her brother survived a west-side house explosion in 2001 due to a gas leak.

Grant said it was a normal day for her and her brother after getting out of school, but everything changed when they entered their home.

“We put our books down, and the house blows up with my brother and I inside,” Grant said.

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The explosion threw both siblings into a wall inside the house. The wall trapped Andrea. She said her brother rescued her and ran to the neighbor’s house for help.

She adds her neighbor didn’t want them to see the condition they were in.

“So, she went running around her house tearing down her mirrors. My book is called ‘Beauty Beyond the Mirror’ because the one mirror she couldn’t take down was the mirror in the bathroom,” Grant said.

For the first time since the explosion, Andrea’s mother Katana Campbell spoke only to Action News Jax.

”My mental state was not good because I couldn’t believe that happened to my children. So, I headed home as fast I could,” Campbell said.

Grant had to wear garments for a year to help smooth her scars.

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“We could not take the garments off. We had to wear them 24/7,” Grant said.

She said she wanted to help other burn survivors overcome the challenges they face and started a nonprofit organization.

“So, I created Beyond Scars. It focuses on self-esteem, confidence, and perseverance,” Grant said.

She also created a Jax Survivors Women’s Retreat that will start on Sept. 13 and end on Sept. 15.

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“This is a time for us to sit around in our pink pajamas to share our stories and talk about our survival,” Grant said.

17 people are joining the retreat.

If you want to discover how to be a part of this journey, click here.

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