Millersville Man Dies From Injuries After Burning Leaves In Yard

MILLERSVILLE, MD — A Millersville man has died ten days after he suffered life-threatening injuries when he used gasoline to burn leavesin his yard, county fire officials said. Joseph Willinger, 78, of the 500 block of Ski Lane in Millersville, was burning leaves and sticks in a legal burn pit when he was fatally injured, according to Anne Arundel County Fire officials in a news release.

Authorities said Willinger died on April 15. He attempted to kindle the fire using gasoline when fuel vapors apparently ignited from the pit back to Willinger, causing the burn injuries.

A Maryland State Police helicopter landed near the scene to fly him to the burn center at John Hopkins Bayview Hospital, where he died Monday.

Willinger is the third fire-related death in Anne Arundel County in 2019, authorities said.

• Feb. 14: Betty Lee Farley, 84, died from burns she received when her robe came into contact with a hot stovetop and caught fire. Farley was a resident of Catholic Charities Senior Housing at Friendship Village in the 1200 block of Odenton Road in Odenton.
• Jan. 30: A dwelling fire in the 400 block of Wellham Avenue in Glen Burnie killed 37-year-old George Christopher Kouimanis. The fire was accidental with an undetermined cause. There were no working smoke alarms in the home.