Man seriously burned in Gloucester car explosion

By Steven Rosenberg and John R. Ellement, Globe Staff

GLOUCESTER -- One man suffered serious burns today in an explosion inside a car parked in a beach parking lot in Gloucester, according to a spokesman for Essex District Attorney Jonathan Blodgett.

While authorizes did not say what caused the explosion is still under investigation, foul play is not suspected, said Steve O'Connell, a Blodgett spokesman.

“It’s an active investigation,” O'Connell said.

A police officer was working a detail less than 200 yards from the parking lot when the car exploded at about 10 a.m., according to Lieutenant Joe Aiello of the Gloucester Police Department. The officer rushed to the parking lot and found the car engulfed in flames. The man was outside the vehicle, and the officer immediately began to administer first aid, Aiello said.

The man, who was not identified, was taken to Beverly Hospital. His condition was not available, but he was still alive, Aiello said.

The State Police bomb squad is on the scene along with State Police detectives and police and Gloucester firefighters.

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