Odessa – The Delaware State Fire Marshal’s office has determined that a fire that critically injured a man in Odessa, Delaware, Friday morning, was accidental, according to Assistant State Fire Marshal Michael G. Chionchio.
Chionchio said the blaze, reported shortly after 8:00 am, Friday February 10, 2017, occurred at a construction site in the Village of Bayberry North near the intersection of North Bayberry Parkway and West Aristotle Avenue. The Odessa Fire Company responded to the fire before state fire investigators were called to the scene and investigated the incident.
The fire began when the victim was using an open flame to thaw frozen hose lines on a piece of machinery designed to coat concrete forms with an oil-based substance. The hose broke and the liquid substance sprayed across the open flame and ignited, burning the 21 year old male victim, Chionchio said.
The victim was flown by a Delaware State Police helicopter to the Crozer Medical Center in Upland, Pennsylvania. He sustained 2nd and 3rd degree burns to approximately 40% of his body surface. He is in critical condition, according to Chionchio.
Fire damage to the vehicle carrying the machinery was estimated at $5,000, Chionchio said.