Bathtub Fire: An Extraordinary Burn Injury

A 42-year-old male painter presented to our facility with superficial and partial-thickness burns to his face and both arms. He had been in his usual state of good health until the day of admission, at which time he was power-sanding old bathtubs in preparation for repainting them. Because this activity generates large amounts of dust, he routinely worked with the bathroom door closed to avoid contaminating each apartment. Using his electric sander, the subject began sanding a bathtub in an apartment that had been vacant for more than a year. Suddenly, a ball of orange fire engulfed him, accompanied by an explosive sound. In an instant, the fire disappeared as quickly as it had begun. Startled, the painter looked down and saw that his sander was still grinding away in the bottom of the tub. Reaching down to unplug it, he noticed a little ring of blue flame, “like a stovetop burner,” surrounding the bathtub drain. He blew on the drain and extinguished the blue flame. He stood up and was surprised to find that the bathroom door had literally been blown off its hinges by the force of the explosion. Finding the hairs on his arms singed, he left the vicinity, ran water over his arms, and then sought medical attention.