Explosion Kills Union Co. Man Pouring Fuel On Fire Pit: Officials

HILLSIDE, NJ — A 56-year-old man died Monday afternoon after a gasoline container exploded as he was pouring it into a backyard fire pit, according to the Hillside Fire Department.

"Witnesses heard an explosion," Hillside Fire Chief Douglas Ferrigno told Patch.

Ferrigno said that it looked like the 56-year-old man was using a fuel container commonly sold in stores and pouring the contents, likely gasoline, into a fire pit, and that container exploded, causing the liquid to pour over the man's body.

"Somehow the fire got back into the container," Ferrigno said.

The initial call to the fire in the backyard of a Warwick Road home came in to the Hillside Police Department shortly before 4 p.m., officials said. Ferrigno said he believed the man lived at the home.

The burn victim was found by first responders with burns over 75 to 80 percent of his body. He was treated by first responders who took him to an area hospital, but did not survive his wounds, police said.

No one else was injured and authorities declined to name the victim.

The official cause of the fire has not been determined, and the incident is still under investigation by police.