A 30-year-old De Soto-area man suffered severe burns in a fire late Thursday afternoon, Sept. 8, and was airlifted to an area hospital for treatment, said John Scullin, De Soto Rural Fire Protection District spokesman.
He said De Soto Rural Fire got a call at approximately 4:30 p.m. about a detached garage on fire at a home on Wilson Hollow Road off Vineland Road.
“It was reported (the victim) was working in the garage on a boat. The victim is the homeowner,” Scullin said. “Once burned, he ran out of the garage. He was outside of the garage when we got there. He suffered severe burns to numerous parts of his body.”
After Valle Ambulance personnel tended to the victim’s injuries, he was taken by Survival Flight helicopter to Mercy Hospital St. Louis in Creve Coeur, Scullin said.
No one else was in the garage when the fire started, Scullin added.
He said the fire is not considered suspicious.
“We don’t know the mechanics of the fire, but it was obviously started from some kind a blast caused from the work on the boat. It was simply an accident,” Scullin said. “The state fire marshal and Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office are investigating because there was a severe injury.”
Scullin said the garage and the boat were destroyed.
“We had the fire under control in about 15 minutes,” he said. “We kept the fire from spreading to the house. Firefighters were on scene for about 90 minutes.”
The De Soto Fire Department and the Hillsboro, Hematite and Potosi fire protection districts helped with the call, Scullin said.