A former top minister has issued a warning about gas barbecues after suffering horrific burns to his face in a backyard incident. 

David Elliott – who was the NSW transport and police ministers in the last Coalition government – was trying to start his gas barbecue about this time last year when he burned his face. 

Mr Elliott told Radio 2GB host Ben Fordham on Wednesday that he was just trying to figure out how to turn the BBQ on when he suffered the agonising injury. 

‘I bought a new barbecue and had it connected to the main. But you just have to be so, so careful,’ Mr Elliott said. 

‘I still don’t know when I ignited it if there was still residual gas from the connection not being tight or whether it wasn’t turned off completely and properly.

‘You should always open the lid and walk away for about half a minute and let any residual gas go away. I didn’t do that. I went straight in. 

‘It was very much a case of one flash and you’re ash’. 

Mr Elliott described the accident as ‘very traumatic’.

‘[The pain] was really stingy at the beginning… and then with a lot of these burns the skin just started to peel off,’ Mr Elliott said. 

The former politician added he was ‘lucky’ he did not suffer any irreversible damage as his wife, Nicole, immediately administered first aid treatment after he was burned.

‘Luckily, Nicole put me straight under cool water which I think mitigated some of it. The first 24 hours it looked terrible and it was very uncomfortable,’ Mr Elliott said. 

‘It’s quite amazing I didn’t lose sight in my eyes. 

‘The good news is it didn’t affect my modelling career.’

He added that he felt like a ‘fool’ as he often warned Aussies ahead of the festive season to be careful when starting their gas barbecues.

‘I felt like a fool because I spent five years as emergency services minister starting every summer telling people to be careful around their gas barbecues,’ Mr Elliott said.

‘And I did exactly what (former RFS Commissioner) Shane Fitzsimmons and (Fire and Rescue Commissioner) Paul Baxter told me not to do.’

Mr Elliott warned men, in particular, to be careful when starting their barbecues or when doing things around the home. 

‘The home is the most dangerous place for a middle aged man because we think we can do things that we can’t,’ Mr Elliott said.  

‘We go up step ladders without people holding them, we connect barbecues which should have been done by professionals. We think we know everything.’

Mr Elliott’s warning comes after a family in Lismore lost their home to a gas bottle fire on Australia Day. 

Daniel and Gemma O’Brien were enjoying a night off from their five children when they woke to the sound of hissing. 

The pair found the noise was coming from the barbecue area and the gas bottle was in flames. 

The O’Briens immediately fled the property before the blaze engulfed the entire home.  

Emergency services were called to the home on Bellevue Avenue at 7am on Sunday and found the home completely up in flames.

Multiple fire crews worked for hours to extinguish the fire but the family home and their car was destroyed. 

Sydney Roosters coach Trent Robinson and his wife Sandra were also injured in a backyard barbecue accident in October last year.

It’s understood the pair were cooking dinner at a property at Dalswinton, near Denman in the NSW Hunter Valley when their gas bottle exploded. 

The couple suffered severe burns to their arms and were doused in cold water before being airlifted to John hunter Hospital for further treatment. 

The NSW Fire and Rescue Service said LPG cylinders are safe when used correctly but warned the bottles when stored or used incorrectly were ‘extremely dangerous’.

‘Do not connect or disconnect cylinders in the vicinity of a naked flame, do not use LPG in windy conditions (more than 10km/h),’ NSW Fire and Rescue Services website reads. 

‘Do not use undue force to open or close the main cylinder valve. If in doubt, consult the supplier. 

‘Shut off the cylinder valve before disconnecting the bottle from the barbecue. 

‘Always keep cool and away from flames, sparks and heat. When operating your gas bottle, always read the manufacturer’s operating instructions.’