Jet ski explodes, man badly burned in driveway fire

A man suffered bus on up to 14 percent of his body Sunday evening when a fire started in the driveway of his Gresham home, according to firefighters.

Neighbors told FOX 12 they heard a loud explosion just before 6:30 p.m. in the 600 block of Southwest Mawrcrest Drive.

"That's all we heard and then a couple seconds later we saw a big plume of smoke coming up," said David Lee, who lives at a nearby apartment complex.

Investigators said Monday the origin of the fire was determined to be a jet ski, a 1996 model, that exploded when the homeowner attempted to start it up in his driveway.

The fire has been ruled accidental, but the exact cause is officially listed as undetermined, because there is so little of the jet ski left to examine.

A neighbor gave FOX 12 a cell phone picture she took showing a boy running away from the fire, who neighbors identified as the man's son.

"I heard the explosion so I ran out," said neighbor Brian Krum. "The neighbor came around that coer on fire. He took his shirt off. I was going to help him. He ran by me and laid down in the garage. I grabbed the hose. I said, ‘Are you okay?' He said, ‘Yeah.'"

Neighbors said the man had bus on his chest and an injury to his foot. Paramedics transported him to the bu unit at Legacy Emmanuel where his is expected to survive.

The fire destroyed an SUV in the driveway and spread to part of the garage. There is also extensive smoke damage inside the rest of the home, said firefighters.

The Red Cross was on scene assisting the family with finding temporary shelter.