A temporary resident of a South Bristol cottage was transported to the hospital this morning with non-life-threatening burns from a “flashover” of a propane heater.
The man was injured while lighting the heater. “I’m not sure whether there was a malfunction of the heater itself or whether too much gas was allowed to escape before the ignition,” Bristol Fire Chief Paul Leeman Jr. said.
The event briefly set fire to items under a nearby couch, but people at the cottage quickly extinguished the flame, Leeman said.
There was no fire by the time emergency personnel arrived at the cottage shortly after receiving the page at 7:15 a.m., South Bristol firefighters said. There was no damage to the cottage.
The identities of the homeowner and the man with the burns were not available.
Bristol Fire and Rescue, Central Lincoln County Ambulance Service, the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office and the South Bristol Fire Department responded to the scene.
The Damariscotta Fire Department and the Newcastle Fire Department were en route to the scene and the Waldoboro Fire Department was en route to cover Bristol when firefighters were able to cancel the call for mutual aid, Leeman said.
The Damariscotta Fire Department covered Bristol until firefighters returned to the station. The scene was cleared at about 8:15 a.m.
“Kudos for our mutual aid response,” Leeman said. “This time of day, people are pretty short with everybody out of town working.”
