Maryland Man Dies From Burns In Gas Station Fire

FREDERICK, Md. (WUSA) -- A Germantown man died from injuries he sustained in a fire that broke out at a Frederick gas station early Wednesday morning.

Maryland State Police along with Frederick County Sheriff's deputies responded to a report of a vehicle fire at an Exxon station on Route 85 at Interstate 270 shortly after 4:00 a.m. Troopers arriving on scene found a victim on fire in an adjacent parking lot while a vehicle and fuel pumps nearby were also engulfed in flames.

Fire and rescue were able to put out the flames and the victim was immediately taken to the Frederick Airport. A Maryland State Police helicopter then airlifted the victim to the MedStar burn unit in Washington, DC, with 3rd degree burns, but he later died of his injuries. The victim was identified as 26 year old Ainsley Ronald Gordon, Jr., of the 19000 block of Century Boulevard in Germantown.

Route 85 at I-270 was closed for an hour while fire and rescue crews worked to extinguish the blaze. The fire did an estimated $60,000 in damages to the service station's fuel pump, and to Gordon's Nissan SUV.

Investigators have established that Gordon stopped at the Exxon station for fuel, but they are still investigating exactly what ignited the fire. Maryland State Deputy Fire Marshals are seeking the public's help in this investigation. Anyone who was at the gas station, or who was driving by, and saw anything unusual is asked to call the Maryland Arson Hotline at 1-800-492-7529, or the Metro Regional Office at 410-871-3050.