Florida man catches self on fire siphoning gasoline with a vacuum cleaner

A man in Florida caught himself on fire and exploded his garage over the weekend when he attempted to use a vacuum to siphon gasoline from a vehicle.

Palm Bay police told Florida Today that Michael Mirabel was attempting to retrieve some gasoline from a disabled Volkswagen Passat in his garage for his girlfriend's vehicle on Sunday.

"A lot of it was destroyed, but what we can figure is that he took the hose part and taped it to a tube that would be small enough to get in the gas tank," Assistant Palm Bay Fire Marshal Ron Bailey said. "It probably would not have happened if the garage door was up."

Neighbors said that the violent explosion sounded like a train wreck.

Mirabel was reportedly airlifted to a burn center in Orlando and was being treated for burns on over 60 percent of his body.

Watch this video from Florida Today, broadcast June 10, 2013.

[Stock photo: Man with vacuum is hoovering or cleaning the car via Shutterstock.com]