The chief of the Hillcrest Fire Department in Hoke County was seriously burned in an explosion Friday.
Chief Michael Scott sustained burns to his arms and face while fighting a woods fire on Lawrence McCollum Road. This is near the Raeford Municipal Airport, about halfway between Raeford and Fayetteville.
The injuries are not life-threatening, said his wife, Michelle Scott, who also is a firefighter. She was on the scene when Michael Scott was burned.
Michael Scott is being treated at the North Carolina Jaycee Burn Center in Chapel Hill, said Major Freddy Johnson Sr. of the Hoke County Sheriff's Office. Johnson is the Hoke County fire marshal.
The fire was reported around 11:30 a.m. and started in unattended rubble at 231 Lawrence McCollum Road, Johnson said. It spread and destroyed nearby woods and a 10 by 10 aluminum storage shed, he said.
The shed was filled with equipment and flammable liquids, Johnson said. "We heard a pop, like popping sounds inside, because the flames were coming out the back of the shed," Michelle Scott said. A firefighter was spraying water in through a window, she said.
Michael Scott was standing near the shed door and another firefighter opened it, Johnson said. That set off a violent explosion of built-up gas vapors, Johnson said.