Construction worker burned in explosion near Egg Harbor Township school

EGG HARBOR TWP., N.J. -- A construction worker who was helping to transfer fuel from underground tanks to new above-ground ones near a school was burned when an explosion occurred.

The accident occurred around 9:25 a.m. Wednesday in Egg Harbor Township, at a site next to the H. Russell Swift School.

Fred Nickles, the town's interim schools superintendent, says the worker was cutting into an opening in an old tank to thoroughly clean it. Sparks from the cutting device apparently slipped into the tank and caught fire, causing the explosion that threw the worker about five feet and sent flames shooting up about 30 feet.

The worker suffered first- and second-degree burns to his arms and torso. The man was being treated at a hospital, but his name and further details on his condition were not disclosed.

No other injuries were reported.