An explosion and fire that injured a man at a marina in Brick Township, New Jersey, occurred because of a buildup of gas vapors before he used a heat gun.
The explosion occurred when Kevin McDermitt, 39, of Toms River, New Jersey, went to turn on an electric heat gun at Lightning Jack’s Marina in Brick on Monday about 2:33 p.m., Al Della Fave, a spokesman for the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office, told the Brick, New Jersey, Patch.
McDermitt told prosecutor’s arson investigator Det. Mitch Remig that he was working on a boat that was dry-docked in a garage at the marina when the incident occurred, Della Fave said.
McDermitt was using the heat gun to repair a transducer under the deck of the boat toward the rear, Della Fave said. Just before the explosion, McDermitt detected an odor of gasoline as he went to turn on the heat gun, Della Fave said.
Remig noted that not all of the hatches were open on the boat to vent the vapors while McDermitt was working, Della Fave said. McDermitt was airlifted to St. Barnabas Burn Center in Livingston, New Jersey. He is expected to recover from his injuries.
Friends and family have set up a crowdsourcing page to collect funds as he recovers from second- and third-degree burns on 14 percent of his body.
This post originally appeared here.
