Colorado woman dies in fire when gas pump explodes

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (AP) — A convenience-store gasoline pump caught fire and exploded Tuesday, killing a woman and injuring at least one other person, police said.

Witnesses told The Gazette newspaper the pump caught fire after hit was hit by a pickup that had in turn been struck by an SUV. Police said the incident was under investigation.

The woman was pumping gas when the fire erupted, and she was trapped between the pump and a minivan, witnesses said.

“She was standing there screaming ‘Help me! Help me! I’m going to die,’” Greg Alderman told The Gazette.

Police Lt. Dave Whitlock identified the woman who was killed as 18-year-old Whitney Hendrickson of Colorado Springs.

The SUV driver, 29-year-old Kelli Renae McKay of Colorado Springs, was treated at Memorial Hospital for bruises. She was cited for suspicion of careless driving involving a death, a misdemeanor, Whitlock said.