Man injured while trying to clean lit fireplace… with aerosol

A Colorado Springs man will be spending this Christmas in hospital with second-degree burns after he decided to clean his fireplace… while it was on fire… with an aerosol can.

No explanation has been offered why the man tried to clean his natural-gas fireplace with an aerosol cleaner while it was burning – all that is known is that it produced a rather large fireball and left him with burns to his face.

Authorities have stressed that fireplace accidents are a common occurrence, and that people who wish to clean them should first make sure that they are cool to touch… and that they should not use aerosols. [Denver Post; Image]