LISBON FALLS — Chef Cameron Graf is recovering in the intensive care unit at Maine Medical Center in Portland, FLUX Restaurant and Bar said in a Facebook post Sunday.
Graf sustained severe burns to his hands, arms, torso and legs in a cooking fire early Saturday afternoon. He was standing next to another chef who was preparing a dish with alcohol when the alcohol splashed onto Graf’s uniform, causing it to catch fire, Lisbon Fire Chief Nate LeClair said Saturday.
The Lisbon Fire Department responded about 12:55 p.m. and Graf was taken by ambulance to Maine Med. LeClair said LifeFlight transfers were grounded due to weather.
An investigation from the Office of the State Fire Marshal found the cause to be a cooking fire, Maine Department of Public Safety spokesperson Shannon Moss said in an email Monday morning. There was minimal damage to the building and no other people were harmed.
FLUX co-owner and chef Jason LaVerdiere created a GoFundMe for Graf’s medical and recovery costs.
LaVerdiere and his brother, Tyson LaVerdiere, opened the restaurant at 12 Main St. in 2018.
“Our mission is to raise funds beyond what insurances will be providing to assist him financially in what is going to be a long, difficult recovery,” LaVerdiere wrote. “We want to get Cameron doing what he loves — fishing — as quickly and painlessly as possible!”
The fundraiser can be found at https://gofund.me/43702ffa.
This story has been updated to reflect who was cooking the dish at the time of the accident.
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