Seabrook man injured in vehicle fire

BEAUFORT COUNTY, S.C. (WCSC) - Firefighters said a Seabrook man was injured after gas cans in the rear of his SUV started a fire in the vehicle when he struck his lighter inside the vehicle.

Crews with the Burton Fire District responded just after 4:30 p.m. Tuesday for a reported vehicle fire on Seabrook Road.

The SUV was found engulfed in flames near the home. EMS was called to the scene after firefighters learned the owner of the SUV had been burned.

The fire was started after the owner struck his lighter near recently filled gas cans in the back of the vehicle causing an “explosion,” investigators said.

“Many people just consider the actual liquid as a danger and do not consider the fumes which can travel, and when in the right mixture with oxygen, can be explosive,” Burton Fire Lt. Lee Levesque said. “If you smell gas, kerosene, or any such fumes, leave the area and ventilate it immediately. These fumes will also travel and can find ignition sources remote from the fuel itself, such as a hot water heater or even a spark from a light switch.”

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