BLAINE, Maine — A 72-year-old Blaine man died early Wednesday after he was critically burned in an accident at his home Tuesday afternoon.
Reginal Otis died at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, Department of Public Safety spokesman Stephen McCausland said in a release Wednesday.
According to McCausland, Otis had been using a torch to cut up an old heating oil tank at his home. Investigators from the state fire marshal’s office said the torch apparently ignited vapors as the oil tank was being cut apart. It was unclear what type of flammable liquid remained in the tank.
Otis was first taken by Crown Ambulance to The Aroostook Medical Center in Presque Isle. He was then flown by helicopter to the Boston hospital with burns to 80 percent of his body.