GADSDEN COUNTY, Fla. (WTXL) - An 87-year-old Quincy man who caught fire when kerosene spilled on him has died.
Robert Dennis succumbed to his injuries Wednesday at Shands in Gainesville.
The Gadsden County Sheriff's Office said a Good Samaritan was a "true hero" after saving Dennis who caught fire when kerosene spilled on him.
The Gadsden County Sheriff's Office responded to a home on Spooner Road in Quincy just after 4 p.m. on Tuesday.
While on scene, deputies learned that Dennis was severely burned after attempting to refill a kerosene heater. They learned the fuel spilled on him and set him ablaze.
Thankfully, Brenda Strom Clark, saved him just in time.
Deputies say Clark was driving by when she spotted Dennis on fire and in distress. She then immediately drove to help, taking her coat off and covering him as she rolled Dennis out of the fire.
"Clark’s fast thinking and heroic act saved Mr. Dennis’s life," deputies wrote. "[She said] it seemed like the right thing to do. Clark, who was visibly shaken herself didn’t hesitate to stop and help and said she prays he is okay."
The victim was airlifted to Shands in Gainesville for treatment of his burns which covered more than 1/3 of his lower body.
According to deputies, Sheriff Morris Young says that Clark is a "true hero."
