SALEM, N.H. (AP) – Investigators believe acetylene gas in the trunk of a plumber’s car ignited early Thursday when the owner used a wireless remote to pop the trunk, causing an explosion that destroyed the car and sent the plumber to the hospital.

“Any time you make an electrical connection, there is an arc,” town Fire Marshall Jeff Emanuelson said. “That arc was enough to ignite the gas that had accumulated in the trunk.”

No one else was injured in the blast, which occurred about 6:15 a.m.

Emanuelson said two homes were damaged.