MANCHESTER - A local man suffered burns to his hands in a Somerville Street fire Tuesday night that destroyed a garage and the car he was working on, according to fire officials.

Jose Nunez of 110 Beech St. was taken to the hospital after he suffered minor burns to his hands, according to District Fire Chief Al Poulin.

Nunez had taken a fuel pump off a car inside an unattached, single stall garage about 35 feet away from the main house at 287 Somerville St. Poulin said in the process gasoline spilled onto the car as well as the ground.

Nunez dropped a light, which was not explosion proof, causing a small explosion which ignited the gasoline on the floor and car, according to Poulin. Nunez ran to the house to have the homeowner, Brendan Gilmartin, call 911 and then the two tried to put out the blaze with a garden hose.

A crowd of about 100 people had gathered at the scene of the one-alarm blaze at the corner of Beech and Somerville. Poulin said the garage was fully involved in flames and heavy smoke when fire fighters arrived. They had the fire out in about 10 to 12 minutes, he said.