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Man Burned Siphoning Gas With Vacuum Cleaner

Glen Burnie, Maryland -- An 82-year-old man was badly burned after trying to siphon gas from his car with an electric vacuum cleaner while the engine was running.

Fire officials said the vacuum cleaner caught fire and the man suffered first- and second-degree burns to 20 percent of his body Thursday, primarily to the left side of his abdomen, chest, hands and face. He was in stable condition at the Bayview Burn Center in Baltimore Thursday.

"The vacuum cleaner notwithstanding, it's not advisable to siphon gas while the car is running," Lt. Russ Davies, spokesman for the county fire department, told The (Annapolis) Capital.

Davies said the fire could have spread to the gas tank, blowing up the entire vehicle. "It certainly would have been possible," he said.

The man had returned home from grocery shopping Wednesday evening and locked his keys inside the vehicle while it was still running, Davies said. Unable to get them out, the man left the car running in his driveway and went to bed. The next morning, the car was still running.

Determined to stop the car, the man pulled out an electric vacuum cleaner around 7:30 a.m. and attempted to drain the gas tank. The vacuum cleaner's electric motor caused a spark and ignited the gas, Davies said.

Authorities would not release the man's name. They said he lives with his son and daughter-in-law, who were not home at the time.