Four people were badly burned Christmas Day while allegedly trying to steal natural gas.
Firefighters responded after screams of the burning victims were heard in a residential neighborhood near SW 27th street around 10 a.m. on Tuesday.
Fire Battalion Chief Randy Cornelius said the four had used a garden hose to transport natural gas from one structure to another for heat.
“It appears the natural gas escaped inside a room and there was a flashover basically of the gas,” he explained.
One man who lives two doors away was awakened by the screams.
The four were taken to INTEGRIS Baptist Medical Center for treatment of severe burns.
