On July 18, Pete Morrison received severe burns on his right knee and his right arm, shoulder and neck – over 30 percent of his body – when the water heater pilot he was trying to light in his family’s camper sparked gas leaking from an uncapped propane tank and exploded, knocking him several feet back.

Pete was flown to Hamot where he was sedated – he doesn’t remember much after that – then he was immediately flown to the Trauma and Burn Center at UPMC Mercy in Pittsburgh and diagnosed with deep second-degree burns that injured his epidermis and dermis.

It was a shock.

To Pete.

To his family.

To the community of Sugar Grove where he grew up.

“It happened so fast,” Pete remembered. “And the kids were right there.”

His wife, Julie, was told by campers who tried to help immediately after the accident that Pete screamed for someone to take his three children – Lane, 4; Leah, 6; and Madelyn, 7 – away so they wouldn’t see the extent of his injuries.

“He told them, ‘go play’,” Julie said.

Leah, “daddy’s girl,” was screaming “Is daddy ok?!”

When a nearby camper took the children from the scene, Pete started yelling again.

For water, for help.

Luckily for Pete, his friend with which they were camping, Scott Weilacher, a military veteran, kept calm during the emergency and an EMT camping nearby tore sheets from the bed to wrap Pete’s injuries.

While Pete and friend, Scott, set up camp that day at the Falconer, N.Y., campground, Julie was with Scott’s wife, Katie, at the Chautauqua County Fair. That’s where they were when they got the call there was an accident.

Scott, who was also burned on his stomach and chest during the explosion, was treated and released at Hamot Medical Center in Erie.

At Mercy, Pete’s recuperation proceeded quickly, more quickly than medical personnel predicted. He credits his quick recovery to spray-on skin (in which a biopsy is taken from the patient’s undamaged skin and the healthy stem cells are isolated. A water-based solution containing those healthy stem cells is then sprayed on the burn, promoting quick healing).

It was still a long, difficult road for him, though, and for his family.

While Julie stayed with Pete in Pittsburgh, the children were cared for at home, but they were upset, and they missed their dad.

“It wouldn’t have been so hard if they hadn’t been right there” at the explosion, Pete explained.

Julie did the best a wife and mom could, taking pictures of Pete, Photoshopping out his injuries and showing them to their young children so they could see their dad.

She would be silly, she said, “I’d say, mommy rubbed daddy’s feet today!”

She would tell them about the small milk cartons Pete drank milk from at Mercy, the same type of milk cartons the kids had had at school.

“I tried to keep them positive,” she said. “It was very emotional.”

Pete, 29, has returned to his home on Patchen Hill Road in Sugar Grove. Now he has to go to physical therapy – to improve his range of motion as his skin heals and tightens.

A press operator at Betts Industries, Pete won’t be returning to work soon, but they have assured him his job will be waiting for him when he is able, and he does have family health insurance through Betts, where he has worked 10 years.

“They’re fantastic,” Pete said of Betts, “the company and the people there.”

Pete’s co-workers “came up and cut all our firewood for the winter,” Julie said.

Pete’s second job, welding, will have to wait indefinitely. That’s where the family’s extra money for groceries and gas comes from.

“He wont be able to weld for a while,” Julie explained.

Although Pete’s on the mend, he tires easily and still has a lot of healing to do. The pain from the burns has eased, but he is left with the itching.

“The itching never stops,” he said.

It is difficult for him to sleep.

The burned skin is very sensitive. He cut it open on a cereal box this week.

Full recovery is expected to take approximately a year.

The burns are still bright red, and blisters form from any pressure to the skin. The atrophy he experienced in the hospital is eased a bit by the physical therapy.

Now that Pete’s life is no longer in danger and a full recovery is predicted, the family is left with one big thing.

Gratitude.

“It puts a lot of things in perspective,” Pete said, thankful to be back with his family in his country home with its wide vistas.

“Life does flash before your eyes,” Julie said in retrospect. She is grateful to have Pete home, as are his children.

The community, Sugar Grove, and the Amish community have been wonderful, the couple shared.

“I guess that’s why we live where we do,” Pete said.

The couple says they are very grateful but, they admit, they are uncomfortable with all the help and attention.

“It’s hard for us,” Julie said. “We don’t think we are anything … but it’s amazing (to find out) how we have affected others’ lives.”

“I’ve never asked for anything,” Pete explained, listing the things in his life he has worked hard for, including the house and property on Patchen Hill.

“I am so thankful for everything everyone has done,” he added. “I never expected it.”

“That’s what you do around our community,” he added.

The Amish have been by the house; they learned of Pete’s injuries word of mouth.

An Amish neighbor brought Pete a broad-brimmed straw hat so he can work outside in the sun without damaging the sensitive new skin on his face.

“It’s been inspiring,” Pete said, “overwhelming.”

The Sugar Grove community has a motorcycle dice run planned later this fall to help the Morrisons with travel expenses and to help make ends meet until Pete is able to go back to work full time. A special account also has been set up at PNC Bank in Sugar Grove for those who would like to donate directly.

A “Pray for Pete” benefit will be held from 1 to 7 p.m. this Saturday, Aug. 29, at Sugar Grove Fire Hall. The day will include a pig roast, chicken barbecue, a live auction at 3 p.m.; a silent auction, bake sale, 50-50, live entertainment with DJ Dave with Infinity Entertainment and Backwoods Bluegrass. Participants are invited to bring a dessert to share (in a disposable container). Tickets will be available at the door. More information is available on Facebook.

On the Facebook page explaining making donations, it concludes, “If you are unable to donate, please keep Pete and his family in your prayers.”