Police blotter

Man was burned

at city gas station

A Fayette County man who was burned when a Charleston gasolinepump caught fire was in guarded condition today at a Pittsburghhospital. Christopher Mooney of Montgomery was transferred to theburn unit at Western Pennsylvania Hospital after he was injuredWednesday night while pumping gasoline at an Exxon station onMacCorkle Avenue in Kanawha City.

Fire investigators at the scene of the accident Thursday wereunsure what sparked the fire.

"There's a lot of things that can cause that gas to ignite," saidDavid Erwin of the Charleston Fire Department. "Something as simpleas static electricity can build up and something as simple as layinga hand on your car can cause a discharge."

Erwin said the fire also could have been sparked by a cigaretteor a cell phone.

"If you're standing talking on the cell phone at the same timeyou're filling up your tank, you're creating an inherent problemwith gas vapors," he said.

Nitro taxi driver

reports robbery

A Nitro taxi driver was robbed by one of his passengers, policesaid.

Timothy W. Mills, an employee of Gary's Taxi, picked up twopassengers, a female and a male, in St. Albans at 6:30 a.m.Thursday, said Sgt. Rick Westfall of the Charleston PoliceDepartment.

The woman was dropped off in Jefferson on the way to Charleston,Westfall said.

The remaining passenger told Mills that he would shoot him in thehead if he didn't give him his bag, Westfall said. Mills gave himthe bag, which contained about $200, and jumped out of the car in analley between Hunt Avenue and Florida Street in Charleston, Westfallsaid.

No detailed description of the suspect was available.