Frances Lopez is speaking out after an attacker doused her in gasoline and set her ablaze at a Kern County encampment.
Lopez, 33, of Oildale, spent two months in a Fresno burn center following the July 11 assault, which left her with second and third-degree burns across nearly a third of her body. She has since returned home to begin a grueling recovery process that her family now manages without local specialized care.
The attack unfolded when Lopez visited a friend in a tent encampment and three individuals arrived to confront them about money. The dispute escalated rapidly. “And then the guy goes out again and grabs a gas can and is like, ‘f–k it, let’s just light them on fire then,’ and threw the gasoline on us,” Lopez said in an interview.
She attempted to flee but was pushed backward onto her friend’s bed. “When I tried to leave, he pushed me back, and I fell on my friend’s bed. And that’s when the girl lit the flame… and we went up in flames,” she recounted.
Lopez broke free and used “stop, drop, and roll” to smother the flames before running to a nearby trailer park to seek assistance. “I was so cold, but I was hot. I felt like I couldn’t breathe,” she said.
Emergency crews airlifted her to a specialized burn unit in Fresno, where medical personnel resuscitated her twice during transport and early treatment. The fire inflicted deep burns across her arms, back, legs, and face. She ultimately underwent four surgeries during an eight-week hospitalization.
The Bakersfield region has no burn center of its own, complicating Lopez’s follow-up care with regular trips back to Fresno. “It’s up to my family to do my care, and it’s a lot of stuff, like really a lot,” she said after returning home in September.
Lopez has met with an arson investigator from the Kern County Fire Department and shared details about those involved. She has declined to name them publicly, citing safety concerns, though she noted one person has been arrested. “I don’t know why these people haven’t been apprehended yet,” she said.
The absence of an active public report or case number has blocked Lopez from accessing victim resources and financial assistance for her accumulating medical bills. She remains largely homebound, continuing physical therapy while fearing her attackers may return.
Lopez continues to hold out hope that the remaining suspects will be brought to justice.