An Australian influencer and well-known party figure has been severely injured following an explosion in his Sydney apartment that left him with burns covering 20 per cent of his body.
The Incident
Gian Carlo Zapata, a high-profile socialite in Sydney, is famous for hosting luxury yacht parties on Sydney Harbour and is the founder of Gaze Marketing Agency. On Monday, he took to Instagram to inform his 10,000 followers about the accident. He wrote, “I recently had an accident where there was an explosion in my apartment and my entire body was on fire for a few seconds. I ended up in a coma for two weeks, but I finally opened my eyes two days ago.”
The fire occurred in his Kingsford apartment in Sydney’s Eastern Suburbs around 11 pm on May 29. NSW Fire and Rescue dispatched eight firefighters after an automatic fire alarm was triggered. A FRNSW spokesman told PerthNow that firefighters found the fire had ignited before they arrived, and a male person had been injured.
Multiple NSW Ambulance crews attended, including intensive care paramedics who treated Zapata for burns before transporting him to Royal North Shore Hospital.
Community Support
On May 31, Zapata’s friend Lex Novak launched a GoFundMe campaign aiming to raise $22,000 to support the influencer’s recovery and ease the financial burden caused by the fire. As of Wednesday morning, the Australian community had rallied together, raising over $20,000.
Ms Novak described the situation as “an incredibly traumatic and uncertain time for Gian, his family and everyone who loves him.” She added, “While his focus will be on fighting through the days, weeks and months of recovery ahead, the financial burden of this accident will continue to grow. We have created this fundraiser to help ease some of that pressure and allow Gian and his family to focus on what matters most, his recovery.”
The funds raised will be allocated to rent and living expenses while he is unable to work, medical costs not covered by insurance or Medicare, and rehabilitation needs. Ms Novak emphasized, “Gian is a much-loved son, brother, friend and member of our community. Anyone who knows him knows his kindness, generosity and willingness to help others. Now it’s our turn to support him when he needs it most.”
Update from Zapata
On Tuesday, Zapata shared on Instagram that doctors had cleared him to eat solid foods again, accompanied by a photo of a food platter featuring sushi, fried squid rings, and spring rolls. He also clarified that he never requested the GoFundMe page. “To be clear, I never asked for charity,” he stated. “The people who love me saw a catastrophic medical emergency, knew the brutal reality of bills, rent and months of the different types of healing I’d have to go through and acted out of pure desperation and love to protect you. Having 20 per cent of your body burned and surviving a coma is a profound gruelling ordeal.”
