Propane explosion burns Wayne man

A Wayne County man who was burned during a propane explosion was flown by AirMed helicopter to University Hospital's Burn Unit late Monday night.

The man was installing burners in a new pizza restaurant being built along Main Street at about 150 East in the small town of Torrey when a gas-filled room burst into flames, leaving the man with first and second-degree burns on his face and arms, according to Wayne County Sheriff Deputy Chris Chappell.

The sheriff's office would not release the man's name but said he was in his late 50s.

"He was the only one hurt," Chappell said. "Everyone else had just stepped out of the room when it exploded.

Besides burning the man, the blast ripped wallboard off the walls and left "significant damage to the structure," Chappell said.

The men were not alarmed when they smelled propane in the air because they were fixing another leak at the time and thought they had taken care of the problem, officials said.

— Jacob Hancock