HARRIS COUNTY, Texas — A driver was airlifted after he suffered serious burns when the truck he was in erupted into flames and exploded in the Atascocita area Friday morning, Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez said.
The Harris County Fire Marshal's Office said their investigators determined that the driver was refilling a butane lighter and smoking when the vapors ignited causing the fire and explosion.
The sheriff tweeted about the incident just after 8:30 a.m. Deputies responded to several reports of a vehicle fire in the 20900 block of Greenfield Trail.
The sheriff said the male driver in his 20s left a home and then the vehicle burst into flames and exploded. The truck came to a stop in someone’s yard.
The truck was consumed by flames. The sheriff said the driver exited the truck and collapsed after sustaining serious burns.
He was transported by Life Flight in critical condition to a local hospital, the sheriff said.
The fire marshal's office was called to the scene to investigate the cause of the fire.