MADISON (WKOW) -- One person was taken to the hospital after a flash fire at an oil change garage caused second-degree burns, according to the Madison Fire Department.
Ladder Co. 1 and Medic 8 responded to the Woodman’s Gas & Lube Center on Milwaukee Street just after 9 a.m. Friday.
Emergency responders helped an injured worker who was reportedly removing the oil plug from a vehicle when the engine oil, which was pressurized at the time, caught fire.
The Madison Fire Department says the fire started quickly and went out on its own in seconds, but it caught the employee's shirt, causing burns to their upper body.
Fire crews said the victim was working in a basement pit and was not trapped beneath the vehicle at the time of the fire. A shield and mask they were wearing at the time protected them from further injury to their face and lungs.
Flames entered the passenger compartment of the vehicle, briefly through dash vents, causing minor injury to the driver inside. The driver was evaluated but didn't need to go to the hospital, according to officials.
The Madison Fire Department Fire Investigation Team determined the fire was accidental and the result of the pressurized oil coming into contact with super-heated components of the vehicle’s exhaust system.
Damage from the fire was contained to the vehicle itself and did not spread to the building.
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