A Pleasant Grove man remained hospitalized in critical condition Friday after being caught in a natural gas explosion and a subsequent fire Thursday afternoon.
Dennis Donithorne, 46, was working on a natural gas heater in his apartment, 88 E. U.S. 89, when the incident occurred just after 3 p.m., said Pleasant Grove Police detective Cody Cullimore.A gas line connected to the heater apparently ruptured and began leaking gas. That gas ignited and subsequently burned, causing a small explosion and a fire in the duplex.
Patrons at a nearby fast-food restaurant immediately contacted Pleasant Grove Police dispatchers. Pleasant Grove Fire Department crews, paramedics and police officers responded to the scene within minutes.
The fire quickly spread throughout both halves of the duplex. Firefighters were able to confine the blaze to the duplex, but the building was soon consumed, Cullimore said.
Other buildings near the structure were evacuated while crews attempted to contain the fire. The occupant of the other half of the duplex was able to escape the burning building without injury.
Donithorne sustained severe burns in the explosion and fire. He was initially transported to American Fork Hospital but was later airlifted to the burn unit at University Hospital, where he remained in critical condition. A hospital spokeswoman reported that he remains in critical but stable condition Friday morning.
Including possessions, damage to the duplex, which is considered a total loss, was roughly set at $150,000.