Boyfriend's lighter caught woman on fire at gas pump

A 20-year-old woman was critically burned at a gas station after her boyfriend lit a cigarette as she was pumping gas, authorities said.

Samantha Lawrence, 20, sustained second- and third-degree burns to about 30 percent of her body on her torso and arms, according to a released statement by Chattanooga Fire Department. She remains at Joseph M. Still Burn Center in Augusta, Ga.

Investigators have ruled the cause of the fire accidental.

Lawrence was with her boyfriend, Derek Seretean, at the Kangaroo gas station at 1005 Hixson Pike on May 26 when he purchased cigarettes inside and returned to light one next to her, the release said. A flash fire occurred catching her clothes on fire.

A bystander told her to drop to the ground and roll to extinguish the flames, according to the release, and a cashier inside hit the kill switch to the gas pump.

Seretean was arrested at the scene on an unrelated warrant, according to Chattanooga police.

Upcoming Events