An Edmonton man was severely burned after he accidentally lit a pop bottle full of gasoline on fire while disposing a cigarette butt.
Fire crews were called to the Belvedere neighbourhood near 135 Avenue and 57 Street at 1:35 a.m. on Monday morning, after neighbours heard an explosion, reports the Edmonton Sun.
Unaware of the bottle of gas, the man tossed the cigarette into a nearby garbage bag where the man's son had improperly disposed of a bottle full of gasoline.
“That bottle expanded and blew when he was trying to put out the fire,” fire investigator Shayne Page told CBC.
“And that gas, as it blew out of the plastic bottle from the pressure of the heat, it sprayed all over him causing first, second and third degree burns to both his hands.”
His wife was also sent to hospital with burns on her hands, reports the Sun.
A litter audit for 2012 in Edmonton showed a slight increase in the amount of cigarette butts being flicked away.
Bylaw officers planned to start handing out tickets to people who don't dispose of smoking material in sidewalk ashtrays, which could mean a $250 fine.
Fire rescue spokesman Michael Tucker told the Edmonton Journal the explosion was "an unfortunate incident," and said it served as a reminder for people to always discard smoking materials carefully.
With files from The Canadian Press
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