YUMA, Ariz. (AP) -- A Yuma man was burned on more than half of his body after a generator he was refueling exploded.
Alejando Diaz, a self-employed contractor, was on a construction site Friday when a spark ignited the generator, said Capt. John Abarca of the Rural/Metro Fire Department.
Doctors at the Maricopa County Burn Treatment Center told Esmeralda Diaz that her husband suffered second- and third-degree burns on 55 percent of his body. She said her husband will not be able to speak for at least three weeks and will be in the hospital for about two months.
Part of his recovery includes skin-grafting surgery to be performed this week.
``He opened his eyes the other day,'' she said. ``The doctors said that was a good sign. He is getting a little better.''
No one else was injured. The fire was contained by construction workers who smothered it with dirt.
While Esmeralda Diaz said something could have been wrong with the generator, which her husband bought May 24, Abarca said Diaz may have been hazardously refueling it while it was running.
