Fuel vapour likely cause of blast

Mr McBurnie died in the fire on the Catherinefield Industrial Estate

A garage blast in which a man died was probably caused by fuel vapour ignited by a lamp or other electrical equipment, a sheriff has ruled.

James McBurnie, 53, of Kirkland Road, Dumfries, died after being engulfed in flames while working on a fuel tank.

The ruling, by Sheriff Kenneth Ross, came after a fatal accident inquiry at the town's sheriff court.

The explosion happened on the Catherinefield Industrial Estate, Dumfries, in September last year.

Mr McBurnie was taken to St John's Hospital in Livingston for treatment to his burns, but died three days later.

He was removing a fuel tank from a car at an inspection pit at his workshop when the fuel ignited.

He suffered extensive burns which a consultant anaesthetist said would have been impossible to survive.

Witnesses told the inquiry how they pulled Mr McBurnie from the fire with only a few strands of clothing left on him.

In his findings, Sheriff Kenneth Ross said that, when fuel was being removed from a tank, the vapour - which is heavier than air - was likely to escape and gather in areas such as inspection pits.

He said heat from lamps or a spark from electrical equipment may cause the vapour to ignite and explode and this was what appeared to have happened.