NORTH FORT MYERS, Fla. — A home burst into flames Tuesday, sending a man to a hospital, the Lee County Sheriff’s Office said.
The fire started around noon at the Swift Mobile Home Park. Neighbors scrambled to help the man who lived there.
“I got to his residence; he was just coming outside of the lanai in shock, burnt severely,” said neighbor Julianne Adams. “… All of his hair’s gone. The front of his shirt had actually been blown out.”
The blaze began when a gas stove exploded, the man told neighbors.
Flames from the explosion engulfed his home and climbed up trees, prompting neighbors to evacuate.
The man was transported to Lee Memorial Hospital with minor burns, then airlifted to Tampa General Hospital. His dog also sustained minor injuries and is being treated at a veterinarian’s office.
The state fire marshal is investigating the cause of the explosion.