ROCKPORT – A Gurney Street man was transported via a LifeFlight helicopter to Maine Medical Center in Portland early this afternoon, July 4, after suffering what may have been second- and third-degree burns over 20 percent of his face and body.

The man, who lives at 33 Gurney Street, had obtained a fire permit from the town and was getting ready to burn brush, and an old wooden door, in his backyard around 11:15 a.m.

To ignite the fire, he used gasoline, and after he doused the brush with it, he set the gas tank off to the side, took a wooden match, and ignited the fire.

His wife, who was inside the house, then heard a “big kaboom,” said Rockport Fire Chief Jason Peasley.

The gas vapors had exploded into flames, and the homeowner, who was standing by the fire, immediately was injured. His wife called 911, and Knox County Regional Communications talked with her.

Her husband apparently declined an ambulance. Knox RCC then called Peasley to inform him of the incident, suggesting he investigate.

When Peasley arrived, he found the man inside the home applying cold washcloths to his face and arms.

“I looked at him and told her he needed to go to the ER,” said Peasley.

Peasley saw the the man's face was already beginning to blister. Peasley advised his wife to take him to Pen Bay Medical Center, and that is where the emergency department staff called LifeFlight to transport the man to Maine Medical Center in Portland.

“Second and third-degree burns is severe,” said Peasley.

Starting a fire with accelerants is discouraged by firefighters because of the dangers associated with combustion. 

Gasoline has the dangerous combination of a low flash point combined with a high vapor density, according to Burn and Fire Prevention: “Gasoline has the dangerous combination of a low flash point combined with a high vapor density.   The flash point of a liquid is defined as the temperature above which the liquid produces vapors which can ignite or explode.  The flash point of gasoline is - 45 degrees F ( - 43 degrees C).  In practical terms, this means that at all temperatures above minus 45 degrees, liquid gasoline is producing vapor which can ignite or explode.  By comparison, the flash point of kerosene is 100 degrees F and the flash point of diesel fuel is 125 degrees F.”

The Maine State Fire Marshal's Office was contacted, as is protocol whenever personal injury is involved with a fire.

Investigators believe that the because the home's backyard is against a mountain, and because the winds were light and the day had been humid, the gas vapors settled down around the wood and were unable to evaporate quickly. When the man lit the match, the vapors were concentrated enough to cause an explosion.

The man’s son tended to the fire until Rockport firefighters arrived with a truck to extinguish the burn.

“Flammable liquids are not a good idea to start a fire with,” said Peasley.

He said the homeowner had otherwise prepared for his fire, taking all the right precautions.

Reach Editorial Director Lynda Clancy at lyndaclancy@penbaypilot.com; 207-706-6657