A man accidentally set himself on fire while attempting to dispose of his ex-girlfriend's dead body and subsequently burned alive, according to reports.
Sarone Bridges, 35, of Atlanta in the US, strangled ex-girlfriend Beverly Bland, 34, after an argument.
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Bridges then placed the body of Bland in a sleeping bag that had been soaked in gasoline. Presumably, the killer had intended to reduce the evidence of his crime to ashes. But Bridges' plan blew up in his face.
When the vapours from the gas ignited, it caused a massive explosion. Bridges was burned alive as the Atlanta home became engulfed in flames.
Police confirmed that Bland had been strangled before the fire was lit.
According to reports, Fulton County Fire Chief Larry Few said: “When he threw that match, the vapours of gasoline are what ignited.
“There was an immediate fireball that blew the windows out… Based on how his body was positioned, I think [the] explosion took its toll on him. The concussion from the blast could have made him disoriented where he fell, and he received the thermal burns afterwards.”
Investigators from the Fulton County Medical Examiner’s Office said Bridges died of burns and smoke inhalation.
