'Grateful To Still Have My Life', Burn Victim Says In Post

WAUKESHA, WI— Amber Fuller of Waukesha who was set on fire on Wednesday released a statement.

"Hello all of my Facebook friends and family! I want to thank you all for the love and support you have offered, I truly appreciate it! I wanted to make a video or go live, but just wasn’t ready. I will hopefully be going home soon to continue my recovery and will know in about a week if surgery will be necessary. I feel very grateful to still have my life and that my dogs were unharmed. This will be challenging physically, mentally, and financially the next couple months but I am so glad to know I have so many wonderful people willing to help in so many ways. Thank you."

A GoFundMe campaign has been established for the woman who was set on fire while walking her dogs Wednesday morning.

Fuller, of Waukesha, was walking her dogs when she was "attacked and set on fire by a man she doesn't know. She was able to run and yell for help but suffered second and third degree burns to her back, stomach, and most of her right arm and hand," according to the GoFundMe page.

Fuller's main concern when she was attacked was for the safety of her dogs — the fundraising page said she wouldn't let the ambulance leave until she knew they were both safe.

Amber is a licensed massage therapist, a job that relies heavily on the use of her arms to assist her clients. The GoFundMe page said the attack will not only have "lasting physical repercussions for her everyday life but will permanently impact her ability to do a job she loves so much."

Organizers of the page stated the cost of her medical bills is not known, nor how long she will need treatment. Fuller will be "in the hospital for at least a week and she will be out of work for at minimum two months. They are hoping to raise enough to cover two months in lost wages and put money towards her medical bills."

The page said that despite Fuller's ordeal, "she has kept her usual joyful spirit and is optimistic about her recovery. The thing she wants most is just to be able to go home and see her dogs."

More information and updates are available on the GoFundMe site.

What happened

Waukesha police announced Wednesday afternoon that a suspect in the attack was taken into custody shortly after 12:30 p.m. in what they are characterizing as an attempted homicide. Police have not identified the suspect who, as of Thursday morning, had not been formally charged.

Police declined to give more specifics about the incident as they continue to collect evidence. However, witnesses told police that a woman was set on fire in an unprovoked attack by the suspect, which promoted Waukesha schools to be placed on lockout Wednesday morning.

Waukesha police said on their social media channels Wednesday morning that they were investigating two suspicious fires in the area and that, as a precaution, the schools were put on lockout. Officials later reported that at 8:47 a.m., officers responded to a report of a woman being set on fire in the 400 block of Lake Street, police said in a news release. Police said the victim was taken to an area burn center.

At 9:12 a.m., Waukesha police and fire officials were called to Fox Vale Court, where an 83-year-old man had been hit by a vehicle driven by a 39-year-old male, officials said in a news release.

Police said they also determined that the 39-year-old man acted alone in setting two vehicles on fire — one of which was in a garage and another which was in the driveway.

Authorities also believe that the man also set a workshop on fire, which caused significant damage. The vehicle fires were extinguished by the homeowners, authorities said, but the workshop fire needed to be extinguished by firefighters. The 83-year-old man who was struck by the vehicle was taken to the hospital with injuries that were not life-threatening, police said.

Police said Wednesday morning that it was not known whether the two incidents were connected. However, a fire department spokesman said Wednesday afternoon that it is believed the man who was arrested for the attack on the woman is the same person involved the car and workshop fires. The spokesman said the incidents remained under investigation.

Wednesday afternoon, police confirmed an arrest has been made but provided only limited details in the early stages of their investigation.

"There is no longer a threat the community as the sole suspect is in custody," police wrote in a news release.

Jeff Arnold, Patch Staff contributed to this report.

This story is being updated as more information is learned. Refresh for the latest.

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