Firefighters help prepare dinner for kids after Missouri mom sent to hospital

ST. CHARLES, Mo. (KTVI) — An accident during Sunday dinner sent a Missouri mother to the hospital. After helping her, first responders also made sure her kids were fed.

Alicia Watson said the pasta meal she was making resulted in second-degree burns on her legs and feet from the boiling water.

“I was going to drain the potatoes, and the water tipped over,” she said. “When the water tipped over, I slipped and fell. The water fell back on my legs, so I instantly called the kids, and the kids kind of panicked, and of course, the firefighters and paramedics came.”

“She was transferred for evaluation, but she did have some little kiddos at home, and they were hungry and waiting for dinner,” said Capt. Kelly Hunsel, of the St. Charles City Fire Department. “While waiting for Dad to arrive, the crew stayed on scene and helped prepare dinner. Mom knew the kids would be fine by themselves, but didn’t want to leave them unattended while cooking.”

“The firefighters were like, ‘We’re going to help you cook this,” said Kingston Bond, Watson’s nephew. “They said, ‘We don’t know how to do it. Do you know how to do it?’ I was like, ‘Uh, no.’”

The three firefighters stayed behind, set the table and saved the pasta dinner of mostaccioli with a side of potatoes.

“It was phenomenal,” Bond said. “It was really good.”

The first responders also helped clean the kitchen.

“I just want to thank them so much for calming my kids down,” Watson said. “Making sure they knew, ‘Hey, your mom is going to be okay,’ and Hey, our Sunday dinner turned out to be great. They still enjoyed their dinner on time, and I’m happy for that.”