https://amp.abc.net.au/article/104787390 (for the above).
It’s horrific.
When Daniella Jacobs-Herd turned eight, a long fluffy glow-in-the-dark unicorn hoodie was the perfect birthday present from her grandmother.
Daniella was still wearing her favourite Temu-purchased jumper at her mother Hannah's birthday party six months later, in July 2024.
"I'd been trying to get it off her because she was getting a bit big for it, but she wore it religiously because she loved it," Ms Jacobs-Herd said.
"It was above her knees when the incident happened."
Daniella was airlifted to Queensland Children's Hospital from Hervey Bay.
On a chilly evening in the family's backyard in Hervey Bay, three-and-a-half hours north of Brisbane, a gust of wind blew sparks onto Daniella's jumper as she stood near a fire pit.
It ignited "in a split second".
Medical staff at Brisbane's Queensland Children's Hospital told Ms Jacobs-Herd her daughter had severe burns to 13 per cent of her body, including her face, right arm and the right side of her chest.
The incident laid bare the risks of using one of Australia's most popular online shopping platforms, and what consumer advocates say is the reactive nature of current laws to protect Australian consumers' safety.
Failing to meet standards
The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) found the jumper was non-compliant with the mandatory standards governing the safety of children's nightwear because it failed to include a fire warning label.
In Australia, all children's nightwear and some daywear must undergo fabric testing and display the appropriate fire label.
Some garments are so flammable they don't meet any of the four fire hazard rating categories, and therefore cannot be sold.
