“It appears that as he was cutting the tank with a saw,” Garfield Police Capt. Richard Uram said. “The sparks may have ignited the fuel, causing a flash.”
“It does not appear they had a permit to remove the tank at this time,” Uram said.
The victim was taken to St. Barnabas Medical Center in Livingston with burns over nearly 50% of his body, responders said.
OSHA and a Bergen County Hazardous Materials Unit joined city first responders.
An investigation was continuing, Uram said.
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