The Maryland State Fire Marshal is investigating the cause of a gas station fire that killed a Germantown man early Wednesday morning.
The blaze broke out at about 4 a.m. at the FSK Food & Fuel Exxon in the 5500 block of Buckeystown Pike and quickly engulfed a Nissan SUV, gas pumps, and the victim, Ainsley Ronald Gordon Jr., 26, of Germantown, said Joseph Zurolo, a spokesman for the Maryland State Fire Marshal.
Gordon had fueled his vehicle and was filling a plastic gas container when the blaze erupted, Zurolo said.
Gordon was flown to the Med Star Burn Unit in Washington, D.C., where he died. His exact cause of death will be determined by medical examiners.
The fire could have been caused by static electricity, a lit cigarette, a running car or something else, Zurolo said. Investigators do not suspect foul play and are still determining the fire's cause.
"We certainly want to stress to the public that it is safe to stop in to a service station to get fuel," Zurolo said. The fire caused an estimated $60,000 in damage to the fuel pump and the SUV.
Zurolo said Gordon lived in Germantown with his mother, but also spent time in Hagerstown. Gordon had not been home in two weeks and investigators were conducting interviews in Hagerstown.
Zurolo said the fire marshal's main concern is preventing future accidents, and that motorists should be careful not to leave their cars running, talk on cell phones or smoke cigarettes while they are fueling their vehicles. He also said that as winter approaches and people begin to wear warmer coats, the danger of sparks from static electricity increases. All of these factors could ignite fumes at a gas station, and Zurolo urged people to be careful and not rush while fueling their vehicles.
However, he said people should not be afraid of gas stations, and that equipment is checked for safety on a regular basis. "We certainly don't want people to be fearful," he said.
E-mail Christian Brown at chbrown@gazette.net.
