Corinth man burned in gas tank explosion

A Corinth man was apparently cutting up a vehicle’s gasoline tank for scrap with a skill saw when sparks ignited gas fumes, causing an explosion that burned him over more than 35 percent of his body, Fire Chief Scott Bragdon said Wednesday.

Dennis Hewitt, 57, who lives on Ledge Hill Road, was thrown about 50 feet when the tank exploded at around 2:30 p.m. Tuesday and suffered first-, second- and third-degree burns on his face, chest, abdomen, arms and upper legs, Bragdon said.

Hewitt was initially transported to Eastern Maine Medical Center and then was transferred Tuesday evening to a Boston hospital for burn treatment.

Bragdon warned others to be careful with containers that contain gasoline and other fuels, even when empty, because their vapors are highly volatile. (Nok-Noi Ricker, BDN)

Two Bangor men were summoned for assault Wednesday morning after a request to quiet down turned into a brawl.

Joshua Kellerman, 32, who lives in an apartment above Judy’s Restaurant on State Street, asked Ansel Gould, 41, who was in the common area between apartments, to quiet down. The men got into a fight that injured both men, according to police reports.

Kellerman grabbed a metal burner from his stove to defend himself and hit Gould in the head with it, according to reports. Gould had two gashes on the back of his head and was taken to Eastern Maine Medical Center. Both men were summoned for assault. (Toni-Lynn Robbins, BDN)