From staff reports
Just past 4:30 p.m., Tuesday afternoon, March 14, Burton firefighters were dispatched to a reported vehicle fire in the rear of a residence on Seabrook Road in Seabrook. Fire crews arrived on scene to an SUV fully involved in flames fewer than 20 yards from the residence.
Burton firefighters were extinguishing the fire when they learned that the vehicle’s owner had suffered burns during the fire and requested a Beaufort County EMS unit to respond.
Burton fire investigators state the fire was caused by recently filled gas cans in the cargo area of the vehicle that ignited when the owner reached into the vehicle and struck his lighter causing an “explosion.”
Beaufort County EMS treated the owner who refused transport to the hospital. Burton fire officials warn residents about the dangers of gas fumes.
“Many people just consider the actual liquid as a danger and do not consider the fumes which can travel, and when in the right mixture with oxygen, can be explosive,” Burton Fire Lieutenant and fire investigator Lee Levesque said. “If you smell gas, kerosene, or any such fumes, leave the area and ventilate it immediately. These fumes will also travel and can find ignition sources remote from the fuel itself, such as a hot water heater or even a spark from a light switch.”
