OCR Text |
Show By GARY R. BLODGETT News Editor LA YTON -- There were some heroic efforts in the gasoline explosion-fire in downtown Layton last Thursday morning that critically burned a Centervil-le Centervil-le man and threatened to blow up three large gasoline tanks. HEROIC praise should be placed on the man who wrestled the burn victim to the ground and extinguished exting-uished the blaze; for the woman who aided police by going door-to-door in a nearby mobile home park and ordering residents to evacuate the area; and to the 22 Layton firemen who risked their lives to move dangerously dan-gerously close to the fire and extinguish the blaze before the large tanks exploded. Stan Randall, a co-owner in the Tom Randall Distributing Dis-tributing Company, is still in "critical condition" at University of Utah Medical Center Burn Unit suffering suffer-ing second and third degree burns over about 50 percent of his upper body. MR. RANDALL, 51, of 485 S. 300 E., Centerville, was apparently filling a tanker truck parked aside one of the large gasoline tanks when the flammable liquid (gasoline) ignited, setting Mr. Randall and the truck on fire. Witnesses said Mr. Randall began to run - his clothing ablaze - but was tackled by Kelly Criddle, an employee at the plant, who extinguished the flames by rolling Mr. Randall on the ground. MR. RANDALL was treated by Davis County Paramedics Pa-ramedics at the scene and then airlifted by Life Flight helicopter to the University of Utah Medical Center Burn Unit. It was a tense hour - fear that the large tanks could explode and cause devestation in the downtown area. Layton police immediately evacuated a nearby mobile home park of about 80 residents and ordered evacuation of downtown businesses on Main Street south of Gentile Street and east on Gentile Street for two blocks. |