BY JENNIFER AMATO
Staff Writer
NORTH BRUNSWICK – A construction worker suffered severe burns on his upper body during a fire at the old General Automotive building at the intersection of routes 1 and 130 on Monday.
At 10:35 a.m., the worker was cutting out an air conditioning unit in the abandoned building, which is currently undergoing renovations, when the unit fell onto an acetylene tank. The force snapped the control valve and created a fireball.
The victim was treated by the first aid and fire squads, and then was transported to Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital in New Brunswick and later to the burn unit at St. Barnabas Medical Center in Livingston.
The Middlesex County Hazardous Materials Response Unit and the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) were contacted and responded to the scene. It is unsure whether or not the scene has been shut down, according to police. No further information was available at press time.