OSNABRUCK CENTER – A man has burns to his arms and hands after a flash fire, which destroyed a garage here Thursday (Jan. 28).
Two dozen South Stormont firefighters from Long Sault, Ingleside and Newington fought the flames shortly before 2 p.m.
The single family home with a detached garage is on the west side of County Road 14, next door to the Osnabruck Garage, near the intersection with County Road 18.
“(The) homeowner had a wood stove in the garage and … there were some flammable liquids not too far away from the fireplace. When he opened the door, the flammable liquids flashed,” Fire Chief Gilles Crepeau told Cornwall Newswatch.
Based on information he received from the homeowner, Crepeau said the flammable liquids were a mixture of oil and gasoline stored in a five gallon pail.
“He was a bit of a mechanic so he had some old oil and gas in a five gallon pail that was just a little bit too close to the fireplace,” the chief said.
Crepeau said the homeowner had minor burns on his face, arms and hands and was treated at the scene by paramedics.
“They weren’t severe but they were bad enough,” Crepeau said.
Not only was the garage gutted by the fire, but the intense heat melted most of the siding on the south side of the home.
Damage is estimated to be more than $50,000.
The homeowner had insurance on the buildings, the chief said.