Two men suffer serious burns after van fuel tank explosion

TWO men needed treatment for serious flash burns after the fuel tank of a van exploded in Shipston last night.

A local volunteer community first responder (CFR) was approached by the two injured men in Gerrards Road, Shipston, shortly after 8pm last night (Thursday). The two men had made their way to the CFR from where the incident had happened nearby; the van consequently caught fire.

Whilst the CFR provided initial burns care to the two men, the Trust’s control room responded with two ambulances, a community paramedic and the critical care car from The Air Ambulance Service.

A West Midlands Ambulance Service spokeswoman said: “A 57-year-old man suffered serious flash burns to his torso and legs whilst a 21-year-old man sustained burns to his hands and arms as well as other superficial burns to his body. The men’s wounds were carefully covered with cooling burns dressings and were given pain relief to help ease their extreme discomfort. Both men were taken by land ambulance on blue lights to the specialist burns centre at Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham for onward emergency care.”