ENIGMA, Ga. (WALB) - On May 23, Jeremy Jensen caught himself on fire while working on a dirt bike for one of his children.

As a father of three, Jensen is often working on projects. He said May 23 was like any other — except the burn was much worse than any injury he experienced.

Jensen said the gas tank leaked without him noticing, and a spark from the battery ignited the bike, which then caught his body. He suffered 3rd-degree burns on 13% of his body.

“Everything seemed to have gotten worse, the burns were blistering... It was agony,” Jensen said.

His wife, Emily Burns called 911 shorty after the accident, where ambulance took him to the emergency room in Tifton. A few hours later, he was life flighted to Doctors Hospital in Augusta, Georgia.

On May 25, Jensen underwent a four hour surgery to have his skin grated. At his follow up appointment on Wednesday, June 4, he was told there will need to be another surgery and more grafting.

“Some of it has healed up pretty good, but I still can’t go back to work because of the existing graft where the deeper areas that got burned a little deeper. There are still staples in me holding up the cadaver graft,” he said.

The loss of income has taken a toll on the Jensen family savings as they travel to and from Augusta because it is the nearest facility.

Burns said, “It’s just not knowing... We don’t know if we’re going to go to one more appointment of six more appointments.”

This is also impacting how their children are spending the summer months.

“Normally, we would go places, even if it’s a family outing,” but Jensen said they can’t do that this summer because sweat would impact the wounds.

After this incident, Jensen has a message for fellow mechanics.

He said, “Even for people who are seasoned working on stuff — pay attention to it… because it changed our life.”

They are waiting a decision on when Jensen will undergo surgery for more skin grafting.

To learn more about how to support Jensen on his recovery click here.

Have a news tip or see an error that needs correction? Let us know. Please include the article’s headline in your message.

To stay up to date on all the latest news as it develops, follow WALB on Facebook and X (Twitter). For more South Georgia news, download the WALB News app from the Apple Store or Google Play.

Copyright 2025 WALB. All rights reserved.