Lance and Carla Hoffman Discharged from Burn Center

Lance and Carla Hoffman – the couple who sustained serious burns while attempting to flee from the Tea Fire on November 13 – were discharged from the UC Irvine Regional Burn Center on Wednesday, January 14. The news came in the form of a press release mailed out by Lance’s mother, Linda Hoffman, to area media on Friday afternoon.

Lance and Carla were burned as they fled their house in an effort to get to their car, which was parked around 300 yards away from their house. They managed to drive to Santa Barbara County Fire Station 7 on Stanwood drive, where firefighters offered first aid and ordered an ambulance to take them to Cottage Hospital. The couple was then airlifted to the UC Irvine center, where their respective conditions gradually improved. The couple will now begin treatment by Orange County burn specialists, however, so they will not yet be returning to Santa Barbara.

Linda Hoffman elaborated on this new stage of Lance and Carla’s journey home. “Lance and Carla anxiously await the time when they can return to their lives and a home in Santa Barbara. In the meantime, the Lance and Carla Burn Fund, with all the donations and fundraisers that have been so generously provided, is a tremendous comfort and makes the rest of their recovery possible. Now that their medical issues are a matter of their most thorough recovery and quality of life, rather than life and death, the availability of these funds is essential and deeply appreciated. Lance and Carla, and we their family, are intensely grateful beyond words for all that the community has done to make this possible. The love and comfort of friends and strangers has made a world of difference to us all!”