Cigarette causes accidental explosion at N.J. college

Two people were hurt when an employee accidentally caused a chemical explosion at a South Jersey college by lighting a cigarette.

The incident, which blew the windows out of two vehicles, happened at about 6 p.m. Wednesday in a parking lot at Rowan College at Mount Laurel, the Burlington County Times reports.

Police said a man who was contracted to do custodial jobs at the college arrived to work, with cleaning supplies in his vehicle, and lit the cigarette.

One of the products was apparently leaking chemical fumes, which were ignited by the cigarette, Lt. Stephen Riedner told the newspaper.

"He lit the cigarette and the fumes exploded. It blew out all the widows," he said.

The 34-year-old employee was taken to Temple University Hospital's burn center. Authorities said his injuries weren't believed to be serious.

A man in an adjacent vehicle, which was also damaged, suffered minor injuries, the newspaper reported.