A 54-year-old man suffered severe burns when an LPG bottle exploded in his car at Lake Illawarra. The incident occurred in a car park off Reddall Parade, near Pep's Takeaway, after the man lit a cigarette.
Witness Blake James said the man got out of his car in shock, picking up pieces of the wrecked vehicle. Bystanders told him to shower due to third-degree burns, but he kept saying he was going to his mother's house.
Emergency services, including intensive care paramedics and a specialist aeromedical crew, treated the man at the scene. He was taken by road ambulance to Shellharbour Airport, then airlifted to Royal North Shore Hospital in Sydney in critical condition.
Fire and Rescue NSW Acting Superintendent Kevin Smith said the nine-kilogram LPG bottle, though small, can cause violent explosions when mixed with air. He noted that olfactory fatigue may have prevented the man from smelling a gas leak.
The man was placed in a coma to assist breathing. The following day, his condition was reported as stable. Police have established a crime scene and are investigating the incident.
