5/4/2009

A Chattanooga man was rushed to Erlanger Medical Center shortly before 4:00 this afternoon after he was badly burned in his own back yard.  Lieutenant Anthony Moore with the Fire Investigation Division said the 44-year-old man was attempting to burn some brush in a 55-gallon can behind his residence at 1707 E. 50th Street.  Some of the brush was green and wouldn't burn well, so the man reportedly poured gasoline in the barrel to get the fire going.  The result was a flash fire that burned the man severely from the waist up. 

There was no fire when Chattanooga firefighters and paramedics with Hamilton County EMS arrived on the scene.  Lt. Moore said the victim was transported by county EMS to Erlanger, but his burns are so severe that he is expected to be airlifted to the Joseph M. Still Burn Center in Augusta, Georgia.  At the time of this release, the victim's condition was still being assessed. 

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