Massive fire engulfs Mansfield gas station after welding incident, 1 hurt

MANSFIELD, Mass. — A fire broke out at a gas station in Mansfield on Wednesday. The fireball consumed the Cannan Fuels Gas Station on Pratt Street in Mansfield. Police released aerial video showing how flames poured from the building on Wednesday afternoon.

"And it was fully engulfed basically," said Barry Topping, a witness. "Both bays right out the top of the garage."

Neighbors told Boston 25 News that the head mechanic was still inside. The owner ran in to save him.

"The owner of the gas station, Mike, got a fire extinguisher and he put the fire out," said Shannon Adams, a witness. "The man was on fire from his boxers to his chest."

The man was pulled out as his co-workers helped put out those flames.

"He had come out of the bay and we had to take his clothes off to extinguish him," said Chris Metrano, a welder at the station.

Related: FD: 2 hospitalized as emergency crews respond to Hazmat situation

Metrano says the fired burned out of control.

"A welding incident that went terribly wrong," he said. "He was welding on a 55-gallon drum and it exploded."

Boston 25 News has learned the man injured was welding on top of a drum filled with windshield wiper fluid, which is flammable. But investigators say it's too early to determine the exact cause of this horrible explosion.

A GoFundMe has been set up for his recovery.

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