Two Seriously Burned In Photo Shoot Explosion
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FORT LAUDERDALE (CBSMiami) — A photographer and a production assistant are in the hospital with severe injuries after gas fumes ignited during a photo shoot at a Fort Lauderdale salvage yard Tuesday.
Detectives identified the photographer Wednesday as 41-year-old Helmut Montoya. The female injured in the incident has not been identified due to severe injuries and detectives are attempting to contact family members to notify.
Stacey Montoya, the photographer's wife, is praying for her husband's recovery after the freak accident that happened Tuesday at a junk yard off NW 27th Avenue and 19th Street.
"He's completely sedated because he has a tube down his throat so he can breathe and his hand and knee is bandaged and his face is burned pretty bad," his wife said.
Click here to watch Carey Codd's report.
Stacey Montoya said her husband is a well-known South Florida photographer.
According to Ft. Lauderdale fire investigators, Montoya was taking pictures of a model using a broken down car and candles.
Stacey Montoya said the production assistant was underneath the car when the fire erupted.
"She is in very bad condition," Montoya said. "She was completely engulfed in flames. My husband said at one point they were 2 to 3 feet high and that she was probably on fire for three minutes."
She said her husband's face and hands caught fire while he tried to save the woman.
"He would not stop trying to get her out and was eventually able to pull her out and threw himself on top of her to put the flames out," she said. "Of course that's exactly what he would do to try and save someone regardless of the danger," she said.
Investigators with Fort Lauderdale Fire Rescue are checking to see if gas vapors are to blame for the fire.
Employees at the salvage yard said the crew did have permission to be on the property.
"We were in the office when it happened," an employee told CBS4's Ted Scouten after the incident. Scouten asked if the employee ran out to help. He responded, "There was no helping anybody."
Investigators believe the combination of gas fumes and fire may have caused a flash explosion spreading flames in a matter of seconds.
"The gas expands very quickly. The patient itself can get burned not only from the contact but it's almost like the air around you catches on fire so your whole body would be exposed to that," said Heiser.
Luis Hernandez, who works at the junkyard, said he raced over to help, using a fire extinguisher on the burning woman.
Stacey Montoya said it could have been worse for her husband.
"He's extremely sweet, loving and giving soul. I think if it weren't for the fact that he's got an angel on his shoulder, it would have been a lot worse for him."
As of Wednesday evening, Helmut was breathing on his own and had been moved out of the intensive care unit.