SACRAMENTO, Calif. — A man and woman suffered severe burn injuries in a gasoline explosion at a homeless encampment in Natomas, Thursday morning.
The explosion happened at an encampment located near San Juan Road and Zenobia Way, according to the Sacramento Fire Department.
Fire investigators say the man was trying to get a fire going by pouring gasoline on it. A few seconds later, the fire ignited fumes from the gas can, causing the explosion. The flames quickly engulfed the encampment.
Investigators say the man was knocked down by the explosion and trapped inside the burning tent. He suffered burns to approximately 80% of his body and was rushed to the hospital in critical condition with life-threatening injuries.
The woman suffered significant burns to the lower half of her body but managed to escape from the tent and get help.
The remote location of the fire made it so firefighters could not drive a truck in to fight the flames. Officials tell ABC10 the firefighters had to walk in on foot to extinguish the blaze and rescue the man trapped inside.
The call originally went out as a “propane tank” explosion. Investigators now say, though a propane tank was involved, it vented and did not explode.
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