fireballs and water don't mix 
2003 Reader Submission
Pending Acceptance
arine shop owner critical after blast
PHOTO/STAFF PHOTO / MICHAEL DIEMER /
mike.diemer@heraldtribune.com Emergency personnel give oxygen to a mechanic who was not injured in the explosion. He refused to give his name or to comment on Monday's accident.
By EILEEN KELLEY and JULIE TREMMEL STAFF WRITERS
posted 06/04/02
SOUTH MANATEE COUNTY -- A business owner was severely burned in an explosion Monday after he used an electric saw to cut through a boat's gas tank.
Jeff Sommers, who owns Jeff's Marine & Fiberglass, was taken by helicopter to the burn unit at Tampa General Hospital, where he was in critical condition Monday evening.
Sommers, 39, was working with another mechanic when a spark from their saw ignited gas inside the tank, sending a fireball at the pair. The other man was treated at the scene. He declined to give his name or to comment.
The boat and part of the building at 6100 17th St. E. were damaged.
Five fire trucks were called to the scene at about 2:40 p.m., but Jeff's Marine workers had extinguished the fire by the time they arrived.
Foster Gover, chief of Southern Manatee Fire and Rescue, said the tank held about 50 gallons of gasoline when the two men began working.
ost of the gasoline had gone up in a fireball, so there was little fuel to keep the fire burning.
Gover said Sommers should have emptied the tank, flushed it with water and treated it with a fire retardant chemical before working on it.
Sommers had burns -- mostly second degree -- on about 85 percent of his body.
The two men had been working on a Scarab, a large racing boat with two engines at the back.
The state Fire Marshal's Office and the U.S. Occupational Safety & Health Administration will investigate the accident, Gover said.
Last modified: June 04. 2002 6:59AM
Note from submitter: I included the actual news story to make verification easier. I had dealings with this business a couple of years ago (and got ripped off). At least my boat didn't nearly sink, as has happened with other customers of Mr. Sommers.
I'm feeling somewhat guilty for my reaction (that he deserved it). That is however, one interpretation of one of the basic precepts of the Darwin awards. He did this by deliberate action.
Here is my interpretation of the event:
A boatyard owner was severely burned when he used a power saw to cut up a fuel tank. The gasoline was ignited by a spark from the saw. The resulting fireball from an estimated 50 gallons of gasoline caused mostly second degree burns on 85% of his body. Third degree burns destroy the sensory nerves, so there is no pain. Second degree burns are the most painful injury one can sustain. His survival is highly unlikely, given the extent of his injuries.
Submitted on 06/05/2002
Submitted by:
Anonymous
Reference:
anatee Herald Tribune6/04/02
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