MAN BADLY BURNED

The man was rushed to Craigavon Area Hospital and later transferred to the Burns Unit at the Royal Victoria Hospital.

It followed a fire close to the Mile House on Lurgan’s Castor Bay Road on Saturday at around 1.15pm.

According to the Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service’s District Commander Victor Spence, a man tried to set fire to trees and rubbish using a combination of petrol and diesel when the fumes ignited.

Two appliances from Lurgan and one from Portadown as well as the PSNI and ambulance service attended.

It is understood the man suffered second degree burns. A spokesperson for the Belfast Trust said the man is in a ‘stable condition’ at the RVH Burns Unit.

Chief Spence said the man had been taken to hospital by the time the Fire Service arrived.

He said the crew stayed at the scene until the trees and rubbish burned out.

The fire officer said the man had been standing close to trees and rubbish which had been covered with petrol and diesel. “When he tried to light it, the petrol vapour ignited first and there was a flashback,” he said.

He issued a warning for people using petrol to light fires. He explained that petrol has fumes and the fumes alone can be ignited and are extremely dangerous. “Petrol has an explosive vapour and will ignite before the liquid,” he warned.