Holden man seriously injured after gas tank explodes in his car

A 55-year-old man has been hospitalized with serious injuries after a tank of flammable gas exploded in his car Saturday morning in Holden, Massachusetts.

The Holden police and fire departments responded to the area of 216 Brattle Street after they received 911 calls for an incident involving a motor vehicle around 9:15 a.m., according to a press release from the State Fire Marshal's Office.

Officials said neighbors had pulled the man from beneath the car before first responders arrived, and he was taken to a local hospital for treatment.

Neighbors who spoke to NBC10 Boston later Saturday night say police and firefighters did get to the scene very quickly, but as soon as they heard what sounded like a bomb, they knew they had to rush to the man's home to make sure he was okay.

"I thought it was like a bomb or something because it was so loud and we were down in the basement level and I could feel the ground shaking," Laura Marcelino said. "The car was in 1 billion pieces. Everybody was like freaking out, I was freaking out, I didn’t know what to do."

Marcelino says after the initial scare, so many rushed over to help. Some even helped pull the man from under his car.

According to neighbors, the man went to start his car and that was it.

"He’s so lucky to be alive like everybody's so shocked that nothing happened to him. He was walking like he was so coherent to the paramedics and everything," Marcelino said.

A few houses up, Scott Bourgeois says that loud noise also woke him up in a panic.

"I ran down in my basement to make sure it wasn’t my water heater or anything," he said.

Hours later, everyone was relieved by the outcome.

"I heard that he only damaged his wrist or something up. I thought wow it’s pretty crazy. That guy is pretty lucky," Bourgeois said.

Officials have not released the man's name at this time, and they have not provided an update on the extent of his injuries.

His car sustained catastrophic damage, officials said.

According to the fire marshal's office, the blast did not cause any significant fire damage.

The explosion's origin is not yet known but investigators have determined based on interviews and evidence at the scene that the man had stored an acetylene tank in the trunk of his vehicle, and it apparently leaked while parked overnight.

While the exact ignition source is unknown at this time, investigators do believe it was accidental.

An investigation is ongoing.