Los Angeles woman sits down for hibachi dinner. She allegedly left the restaurant with second-degree burns: ‘Excruciatingly painful’

Angela Ciccone sat down for a meal at Maison Kasai, a hibachi-style restaurant inside the Moxy hotel in downtown Los Angeles. Like other guests, she was seated at a table where a chef prepared food over an open flame right in front of the diners.

According to the lawsuit she later filed, cited by The Daily Mail, the chef was holding cooking oil when it suddenly ignited. The fire “engulfed [his] entire arm and neck,” and some of the burning oil spilled onto the floor near her.

Ciccone looked down and realized the floor in front of her was already burning. Her legs had also caught fire. She got up at once, stepped away from the table, and patted her legs in an effort to put the flames out.

Filings describe how the fire spread and the treatment that followed

The original complaint states that the spilled oil, combined with the open flames on the table, produced a “sudden blaze and inferno.” It further alleges that no Maison Kasai employee came to Ciccone’s aid after she was burned. Staff members removed the injured chef from the room, while her friends helped move her to another area and then called 911. Live fire is central to the hibachi experience, and many diners debate hibachi shows versus food.

At the hospital, she was diagnosed with second-degree burns on her legs. Medical staff started an IV, bandaged the injuries, and reached out to burn centers. The next morning she was transferred to the burn center at Torrance Memorial Medical Center in Torrance, California, court documents say.

She remained at the burn center for 11 days. During that time she underwent surgical debridement and skin grafting, according to the filings. “Each dressing change was excruciatingly painful as it would rip off the new skin on her legs,” the complaint wrote. Sunlight on the affected areas still causes sensitivity and pain, and the scarring is expected to be permanent.

In the lawsuit, Ciccone claims the restaurant’s staff failed to handle the cooking oil safely, failed to contain the fire, and failed to help her once she was injured. She is seeking damages, though the original complaint does not list a specific amount. The Daily Mail contacted both Maison Kasai and Ciccone’s attorneys for comment.