Man critically burned when space heater sparks fire (poured kerosene into lighted space heater)

Washington Post ^

[Arthurio]

An Oxon Hill man was critically injured when he tried to pour kerosene into a lighted space heater in his living room early Sunday, fire officials said.

The 50-year-old man, who was not immediately identified, suffered burns to 70 to 80 percent of his body, according to Prince George’s County Fire Chief Marc Bashoor. He said the burns included respiratory damage that is difficult to survive.

Firefighters were summoned to the single-family home in the 5100 block of Boulder Drive at 5:15 a.m. to find that the kerosene had ignited the area of the living room surrounding the heater. The man’s wife had escaped the house, Bashoor said, but the man had not.

Bashoor cautioned against filling space heaters indoors or when they already have been lighted.

[Fester Chugabrew]

We make regular use of a kerosene heater in our home. A real pain to replace the wick every couple of years - looking up the right cross reference and finding one. You’d think by now I’d have a few extra wicks and igniters on hand, but no. I wonder if this guy poured kerosene directly into the flame? We never fill our heater unless it’s been turned off for at least 15 minutes.

[SWAMPSNIPER]

He didn't have to pour it on the flame. When fuel gets warm it vaporizes faster and the vapor is extremely easy to ignite. It can actually detonate if there is an ignition source.

Wick type heaters aren't burning liquid fuel, the fuel drawn up by the wick is heated by the metal wick guides, vaporized, and the vapors burn in a controlled environment. Fuel spilled elsewhere on the heater is a bomb.