Woman Who Sustained Burns to 60% of Her Body in Home Explosion Is Making Remarkable Recovery, Family Says

Shelly Harlan was only given a 5% chance of survival after she was injured in the Pickens County home explosion on Saturday, Aug. 17

A Georgia woman who survived a home explosion in August is apparently making a remarkable recovery.

Shelly Harlan had just returned to her home in Pickens County after work on Saturday, Aug. 17 when the explosion occurred, according to FOX affiliate WAGA-TV and CBS affiliate WANF.

Crews arrived at the scene on Highway 53 to find a fire burning at the home and "visible signs of an explosion," Pickens County Fire and Rescue said in a statement posted to Facebook.

Harlan, 62, was airlifted from the scene on Highway 53 West to Grady Memorial Hospital's burn unit, per WAGA-TV.

Harlan sustained second and third-degree burns to 60% of her body, according to a post shared on Facebook by Annie’s Restaurant, where Harlan has worked “for about 5 years” as a member of the kitchen staff.

Related: 1 Killed, Multiple People Injured Following Explosion in Downtown Youngstown, Ohio

Initially, the restaurant said, Harlan was only given a 5% chance of survival. But more than a week after the explosion, they shared an update, revealing that Harlan was “taken off a ventilator and is able talk” on her own.

“The fact that she survived the explosion is a miracle in itself,” the restaurant wrote on Sunday, Aug. 25.

Harlan claimed she was “she was upstairs in her apartment above the garage when the explosion happened,” according to Annie’s Restaurant. She recalled being “blown outside” by the force of the blast, and “remembers pretty much everything about the accident.”

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Aerial footage shared by NBC affiliate WXIA-TV showed the severely damaged garage, as well as the burnt backside of the building.

Harlan has undergone two “successful” surgeries since the explosion, Annie’s Restaurant said.

She will likely remain in the hospital for another five months, according to the restaurant and Harlan’s daughter Sarah Grubb, who started a GoFundMe campaign for her mother after the incident.

“She is a rock star and doing better than doctors have expected,” Grubb wrote in the description of the online fundraiser.

Related: Couple Married for Over 60 Years Killed in Pennsylvania House Explosion: 'Best Kind of Parents'

Additionally, Annie's Restaurant owner Rebecca McClure said she has set up a checking account in Harlan's name at Community Bank of Pickens County, according to WAGA-TV.

"The community has shown up,” McClure told the station. “Pickens County, we are small, but we are mighty.”

It is unclear what caused the explosion.

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