A Nanaimo man was sent to hospital Wednesday after suffering burns in an attempt to control a fire in a garden shed. (News Bulletin file photo)

A Nanaimo man was sent to hospital Wednesday after suffering burns in an attempt to control a fire in a garden shed. (News Bulletin file photo)

Nanaimo man in hospital with burns after attempt to control shed fire

Milk crate ignited after blow torch used to light cigarette in Diver Lake area

A Nanaimo man his being treated for burns in a hospital in Victoria following a shed fire.

The fire happened in a backyard storage shed at a home in the 2600 block of Camcrest Drive, located in Nanaimo’s Diver Lake area, shortly before 5:30 p.m. Wednesday.

“The owner was lighting a cigarette with a blow torch and forgot to turn off the blow torch,” said Capt. Alan Millbank, Nanaimo Fire Rescue’s chief fire prevention officer, in an e-mail. “The blow torch ignited a plastic milk crate on fire, which he then picked up and brought outside to extinguish.”

Picking up the egg crate resulted in serious burns from the burning to one of the victim’s hands and he was taken by B.C. Ambulance to Nanaimo Regional General Hospital to treat his burns and he has now been sent to Victoria for further treatment, Millbank said.

The fire has, otherwise, been deemed accidental. Items in the shed will have to be replaced and the interior of the shed suffered moderate fire damage.

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Nanaimo News Bulletin