SAN JUAN CAPISTRANO : Man Burned When Gasoline Fumes Ignite
A man suffered second- and third-degree burns when gasoline vapors in his garage exploded Monday, fire officials said.
The man, whose name was not released by fire officials, was airlifted to UCI Medical Center in Orange after the vapors were ignited by a water heater at 12:36 p.m.
No damage was reported to the house, said Emmy Day, spokeswoman for the Orange County Fire Department.
The man was draining gasoline from a car he was repairing into a pan when the fire occurred in 32900 block of Paseo Del Lucero, Day said.
A neighbor, Ron Richardson, called 911 after he heard the explosion. Richardson said the man was burned on the upper portion of his body. Medical center officials would not release the man’s condition.
“It’s all too frequent,” Day said. “Most people don’t understand that when you have a combination of three things--heat, air and something that will burn--there’s bound to be a fire.”
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