LINCOLNVILLE, Maine — A man suffered burns over 40 percent of his body Sunday in Lincolnville after a gas-powered refrigerator exploded, according the town’s fire chief.
Kergan Thomann, 29, had been working on the refrigerator about noon in a tow-behind camper parked at 17 Calderwood Lane when things went wrong, Fire Chief Ben Hazen said.
“A neighbor heard the explosion and came down,” Hazen said later Sunday afternoon.
An ambulance crew from North East Mobile Health Services assessed Thomann’s condition and determined he needed to be taken by LifeFlight of Maine helicopter to Maine Medical Center in Portland for treatment.
The chief said he had originally called for mutual aid to assist, but when he arrived at the scene and took in the situation, he canceled the request as the explosion had not caused the camper nor house to catch fire.
“[Thomann] was alert and he was very aware of what happened,” Hazen said. “I think he was starting to go into shock.”
It was good the ambulance service responded so quickly, Hazen said, adding it wasn’t clear exactly what had caused the explosion. He urged folks to be “very careful” when doing maintenance on gas-powered appliances.