Grill explosion at Tarpon Springs home critically injures man

A man suffered burns on most of his body in a charcoal grill explosion at a Tarpon Springs home on Wednesday, fire rescue officials said.

Tarpon Springs Fire Rescue responded to a home on the 1300 block of Riverside Drive around 7:45 p.m. for a call involving a charcoal grill explosion, according to a department news release. Fire rescue crews found an “elder man” with burns on 85% of his body, the news release said.

The man was flown by helicopter to Tampa General Hospital, where he was listed in critical condition, according to the news release.

A bystander told officials that a neighbor put out the fire with a garden hose before firefighters arrived. The fire damaged the outside of the home and a porch area.

Tarpon Springs Fire Rescue Deputy Chief Craig Misener said investigators were still working to determine what led to the explosion. Investigators suspect the man was using some sort of accelerant, Misener said.

Misener declined to provide the man’s name or age, citing medical privacy laws.

Times staff writer Tony Marrero contributed to this report.