Man badly burned using flammable liquid to start fire
A man, believed to be about 70 years old, is in a critical condition in hospital in Johannesburg after he was severely burned when he apparently attempted to light a fire with flammable liquid, Gauteng paramedics said on Sunday.
ER24 spokeswoman Chitra Bodasing said paramedics were dispatched to a house in Alexandra, Johannesburg, on Saturday night, but when they arrived they were informed by the man’s family that he was being transported to hospital privately.
Paramedics went to the hospital in Edenvale and found that the man had just arrived. Paramedics assessed the man in the hospital’s casualty unit, in the company of doctors, and it was found that he had sustained inhalation and burn wounds to various parts of his body, including his face and neck.
"He was treated and handed over to the hospital. According to family members the man was trying to light a fire with flammable liquid and this resulted in an explosion leaving him with severe [burn] wounds," Bodasing said.