Man Burned in Cosmetics Fire in Critical Condition

A Tarzana man who suffered third-degree burns over 98% of his body in a fire at a cosmetics company remained in critical condition Tuesday at the Grossman Burn Center.

The biggest threat to Robert Anderson, 35, is the possibility that he could suffer a multiple organ system failure, said Dr. A. Richard Grossman, medical director of the burn center at Sherman Oaks Hospital and Health Center.

“His chances for survival are very slim, but we are going to do the best we can,” Grossman said. “It’s one of the worst cases we’ve seen in the last 10 years.”

Anderson, an employee at Sher-Mar Cosmetics in Canoga Park, was pouring the solvent toluene from one 55-gallon barrel to another, using a 1-gallon container, when the fire erupted just before 3 p.m. Monday.

Doctors performed a procedure Monday called escharotomy on Anderson’s arms, hands and fingers to improve circulation and prevent gangrene, Grossman said.

Plastic surgeons planned to operate today on Anderson’s head, face and arms, Grossman said.

Although Anderson was sedated Tuesday, he was conscious and surrounded by relatives, the doctor said.

“He knows his fiancee is there, that his dad is there,” Grossman said.