Severe burns

East Styrian dies after fire accident while refueling

As reported, an 84-year-old man in Bad Blumau suffered severe burns on Tuesday after a petrol canister ignited while refueling his car in a garage. The police have now announced that the man from Eastern Styria died of his serious injuries.

A refueling accident on Tuesday afternoon ended fatally for an 84-year-old man from Bad Blumau in eastern Styria. As reported, the man was filling up his car in his own garage when the fuel in the canister caught fire and the flames spread to him.

Cause determined
The 84-year-old was flown by helicopter to Graz Regional Hospital. There he succumbed to his serious burn injuries in the afternoon, the police announced on Wednesday. The fire was most likely caused by an "electrostatic discharge of the petrol and petrol vapors", according to the Styrian Provincial Police Directorate.

The possibility of third party negligence has been ruled out. The 53-year-old son of the accident victim had heard his father's cries for help and then extinguished the fire and called the emergency services.