A Lewiston man died Saturday after suffering burns in an explosion while working on his car, authorities said.
Gary Labonte, 57, was draining his gas tank on the front lawn of his Cottage Street apartment building when a spark from the pump he was using ignited the fuel, said Maine State Police spokesman Steve McCausland.
Labonte was draining the tank so he could replace the fuel pump, and was standing next to four gas cans he was using to store the fuel when the explosion happened, according to fire investigators.
Neighbors tried to save him before he was taken to Central Maine Medical Center in Lewiston. He was transferred to Maine Medical Center in Portland, where he died.