An instructor at Nassau County's Fire Service Academy was badly burned during a training exercise Thursday.
Doctors said the veteran deputy chief instructor is lucky to be alive, CBS reported.
"As they were setting up to get ready for the live fire portion of that training, there was combustible liquids that were ignited causing a flash fire. The deputy chief instructor suffered serious burns," Nassau County Fire Marshal Chief Michael Uttaro said.
The exploding flames were doused by students. The Plainview Fire Department was already on the scene.
