Fireman burnt in gas blast

When 40-year-old fireman Chris Aquilina took the call for a fire in a garage early yesterday morning it all looked routine.

Even when he and his team got there, the garage in Marsaxlokk's residential area was engulfed in flames but it looked manageable. He was told by the owner there was only hay in the garage but, in fact, there were also three gas tanks.

As the firemen prepared to go in, there was a huge explosion and Mr Aquilina was engulfed in flames. He was rushed to hospital and, although he was admitted to the Burns Unit for treatment, his injuries are not that serious. They could have been deadly, had the crew actually entered the garage.

Speaking from his hospital bed at Mater Dei Hospital, Mr Aquilina was evidently in pain.

Mr Aquilina, who has one child, said he briefed his colleagues on how to proceed after he was assured there was only hay inside the garage. He was caught completely off guard as he prepared a hosepipe for the rest of the team.

"My colleagues later told me there were actually three gas cylinders inside," he said in between breaths.

His wife, Marvic, said her husband had a knack for being in the wrong place at the wrong time. This was his third bad injury on the job - he was already burnt and his leg was trapped beneath a fire truck that overturned as it went round a bend in Birkirkara.

But, resigned to the nature of her husband's character, she said he was "very dedicated and always puts others' lives before his".

The Civil Protection Department's Deputy Director, Patrick Murgo, said Mr Aquilina did not have time to put on his mask and gloves by the time the gas cylinder exploded. In fact, doctors established he was only burnt on his face and hands, the only body parts exposed. His equipment remained undamaged. When a container such as a gas cylinder is heated, pressure inside increases dramatically.

"The pressure rises until the weakest part of the container, such as a valve or, as in this case, the welding, gives way," he explained.

Had the firemen known about the gas cylinders, they would have approached them carefully and sprayed water around them to cool them down slowly. But Mr Murgo said that in the circumstance it was normal for someone to overlook something like this. Nonetheless, he launched an appeal for people to be more aware of flammable material in a place on fire.

"Firemen should be informed of any gas cylinders, cans of paint, bottles of thinners or aerosol cans, which can be just as dangerous. A can of lubricant in a room that was on fire recently rocketed through a door," he said.

The department is carrying out an internal investigation into the accident. Until the investigation was concluded, the department said the public should refrain from making any assumptions and reaching any conclusions.

kbugeja@timesofmalta.com

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