Lifetime lesson learned after gasoline flash fire results in second degree burns

As I lay on my driveway Wednesday afternoon with melted skin on my hand and burns on my face, all cut and bruised on my legs from diving onto a gravel surface, you might be surprised to hear the words that came to mind: “Wow. I got lucky.”

The dangers of using gasoline to ignite a leaf pile, or any fire for that matter, have been preached to me since I was a kid. I’ve written several articles about local residents who were severely burned using gasoline as a fire starter. These people shared their stories to promote awareness of the dangers of doing just what I did Wednesday afternoon.

It was a momentary lapse in common sense as I discarded what I’ve heard my entire life and thought “I’ll just use a little to get the fire going.”

I poured about half a cup of gasoline on the small pile of leaves in my ditch, stood to the side of the pile, reached down and used a 12-inch fire starter to get it going.

Big mistake.

Within one, maybe two, seconds, the gasoline fumes caught fire and sent an inferno right toward my face. I used my right hand to shield my face as much as possible from the flames and immediately dove to the ground, as it felt like my hand and hair were on fire.

My hairline was singed, my forehead burned, as well as a burn at the corner of my eye, not severely though, and my hip and leg were all cut up and bruised from my swan dive into the gravel.

I first looked at my left hand. Some burns, but didn’t look severe. My right hand was another story. Pieces of skin dangled off and, almost immediately, the pain was intense.

I called my wife, a nurse, and told her I needed help. Honestly, I didn’t know what to do—apply aloe or antibiotic ointment, jump in the shower or wrap it the best I could and head to the emergency room.

Fortunately, she made it home about 20 minutes later after she told me to take a shower with cool, not cold water, which I did. There was no pain relief. I remained in significant pain. The smell of burned hair and skin lingered in my bathroom—a smell I’ll never forget.

After I ran cool water on my hand for about 20 minutes, she applied some antibiotic ointment and dressed my wounds as much as possible. The problem with burns, though, is you can’t use anything that will adhere to the burned skin, so you’re limited on how to dress the wounds unless you have a box of no adhesive transparent dressings sitting around, which we didn’t. So she trekked to the store and returned with some much needed first aid supplies.

It would be the next morning before I could pick up a prescription for some silvadene cream, which is specially formulated for burns. For the remainder of the evening, and through the night, I laid down with my hand elevated above my heart after taking a strong dose of ibuprofen.

Burns create a unique kind of pain that seems to remain constant.

There was some relief the following day after the silvadene cream and fresh dressings were applied. Then the blisters started. Massive blisters filled with something called serum, an amber-colored liquid that separates out from coagulated blood as the body’s response to fight pathogens or toxins.

By Friday, blisters the size of golf balls remained on my hand. As discussed, they are your body’s effort to fight infection where skin was burned or damaged, so you resist the temptation to pop them.

So what happened? Gasoline vapors are heavier than air and they linger any time gasoline is used. I thought standing to the side of the pile, using only a small amount of gas and leaning down to start the fire would protect me. Not so much.

With those fumes already lingering, as soon as i clicked the lighter, they ignited. And they’re faster than I am. Fortunately, I was able to reduce my facial burns with my dive, but my right hand was the sacrificial lamb in that process.

If you’re faced with a leaf pile you want to burn this fall, you probably don’t need any ignitable substance. You can use a small piece of paper or hold a match to a leaf. If that doesn’t work, a small amount of lighter fluid may be used as a much safer alternative to gasoline. But if your leaves are dry, you may not need any accelerant.

Since my injuries, I’ve read a host of news articles about people suffering horrifying burns and even death by doing what I did so foolishly two evenings ago.

I shouldn’t have to have been reminded burning leaves with gasoline can be deadly, with a high risk of explosion and flash fires, as well as the potentially harmful effects of inhaling smoke from gasoline and burning leaves. There’s a warning on every gas pump you’ve ever used: “Highly Flammable.”

And you shouldn’t have to be reminded. But I hope this article serves as that reminder and spares just one person from a completely avoidable tragedy.

“Wow. I got lucky.”