Fire after Man Tries to Warm House with Gasoline

Photo: @PGFDPIO on Twitter

By Sharon Reed (Patch Staff)

An 80-year old man was airlifted to a hospital Thursday after suffering from serious burns in a major fire at his house on the 6800 block of Westchester Court in Allentown, according to The Washington Post and NBC Washington.

According to Prince George’s County spokesman Mark Brady, the man ran out of heating oil in his house and attempted to light a fire in his fireplace with gasoline. The gasoline ignited immediately, burning the man, and then the fire spread to the house.

Firefighters arrived at about 5 p.m. and found the man in the front yard. Burned over more than 20 percent of his body, the man was airlifted to a burn treatment center. Fire damage to the house is estimated at $100,000, according to Brady in The Washington Post article.