East Austin food trailer owner left with second-degree burns after explosion

AUSTIN, Texas - An Austin man is recovering after a generator exploded near his food trailer.

Sarmad "Sam" Aldhaher, the owner of Halal Time, has been left with second degree burns across his body after his business was set ablaze.

Austin food truck owner recovers from explosion

What they're saying:

"It's very hard because I love my job," Sam told FOX 7 as he sat inside his home. 

Covered in bandages and ointment, medical professionals have advised him to avoid the sun and other irritating conditions because of his burns.

It all dates back to Oct. 9. Sam was where you could usually find him, at Halal Time along East 6th and Onion Street in Austin. 

For months, Sam had been using generators to power his trailer as he worked to get a power connection to his business. Sam says the City of Austin approved the connection but told him that he must find a licensed electrician. He attempted to do so but claims that both third-party electricians he went through never completed the work that was agreed upon. 

In order to supply electricity, Sam had been using generators, one of which suddenly burst into flames.

"It was a regular day, it was around like 7:30 p.m., and one of the generators, because I used two of them, one of them just exploded," says Sam. "I was very close, very, very close."

The Austin Fire Department responded just moments later. Sam says he initially didn’t realize how hurt he was at the moment, with his attention focused on whether the explosion had injured anybody else near his trailer.

"I was worried about my surroundings. I was worried about my people. I was worrying about the people around me," says Sam, who refused to let EMS take him to the hospital after checking him out. 

Sam’s girlfriend eventually arrived and let him know how serious his injuries were, convincing him that he needed immediate medical attention.

"I arrived at the hospital, which is maybe seven minutes away, and I started feeling it," says Sam. "They rushed me inside and they started doing surgeries."

Second degree burns were scattered across his face, legs, and arms. Sam stayed in the hospital for several days and while battling through the pain, one of the first visitors was a familiar face.

"I was talking to him, but I was trying to squeeze my brain, 'who is this person?'" says Sam. Then suddenly it clicked. It was one of his customers. "It was wonderful. A customer took himself away from his family, away from his work and business, whatever things, came all the way to the hospital to find me there."

It’s that sense of community that Sam says he misses more than anything now. 

"The happiness when you feed people, the happiness how you smile, and they smile back at you, the happiness when you see your local faces. It's family," he said.

Dig deeper:

Sam first moved to Austin in 2011 from Iraq, where he was a translator. Four years later, in 2015, Halal Time was born, as Sam began to share dishes from his home region across Austin.

Over the years, he says people from around the world have tried his food, even gaining a spotlight on the Joe Rogan Podcast, where a Michelin Star chef referred to it as one of the best late-night food spots in Austin.

What's next:

But as Sam sat inside his home on Wednesday, his mind is now focused on the road to recovery, as doctors say it could take up to two months for his burns to heal.

He claims that close to 60 percent of his trailer was damaged in the fire, putting it out of service. Sam also has five children, with the youngest only four-years-old, while the oldest is 17-years-old. He's now anticipating a lengthy hospital bill for his treatment, something which he says he'll have to face without medical insurance. 

"I was worried about what the bill was going to be because five or six days in the hospital with two surgeries, all these medicines, all this care, my bill is going to be something huge," he said.

What you can do:

The community has already begun to step in, donating over $10,000 to a GoFundMe set up to help Sam with the costs. He said he's also received an outpouring of emotional support, with droves of people sending him texts and online messages. 

While he’s unsure when Halal Time will make its return, he says nothing will stop him from coming back to doing what he loves, serving customers. 

"I’m so appreciative of all of them," says Sam. "I always have big hope. I’m always very positive. It's coming back again, and we are going to see the lights again."

Anyone wishing to support Sam and his family through this time is encouraged to donate through the GoFundMe page. 

East Austin