A food truck owner in St Paul is recovering in hospital after an explosion during a test run left him, his fiancée and a friend with severe burns.
Shareef Shaheed said he had switched on the propane tank and was preparing to light the pilot for a deep fryer when the blast threw him from the vehicle on the city’s East Side.
The explosion and fire happened on Sunday afternoon, October 25. Firefighters said they faced difficult access because the truck was in an alley, but managed to bring the flames under control quickly. The three adults were taken to hospitals for treatment.
Food truck explosion leaves three with severe burns
Shaheed had spent a decade working two jobs, including as a cook at St Paul’s Dorothy Day Center, while saving to open his own business. He had bought a used truck for Soul4Life, a venture intended to serve southern comfort food.
He was carrying out the test run with Megan Welle and a friend when something went wrong. The St Paul Fire Department said the cause of the explosion remains under investigation.
Speaking from his hospital bed, Shaheed said his experience working in kitchens helped him react after the blast.
“Being around a kitchen, I knew to stop, drop and roll,” he said. “So at that time, that was on my mind. I was rolling to make sure that the fire is put out.”
Shaheed said he suffered second- and third-degree burns to his face, hands and legs and has undergone surgery. He expects all three injured people to remain at Regions Hospital for weeks.
“I’m doing well, man. I’m doin’ well. A little emotional, it’s a mental struggle,” he said.
His family has launched a fundraising appeal to help cover medical bills and living costs while he and Welle are unable to work.
Despite the seriousness of his injuries, Shaheed said he felt grateful to have survived.
“I’m definitely lucky to be alive. I feel like God got a plan for me. He ain’t finished with me yet. He burned me up, but he ain’t burned me down,” he said.
