Covered with blazing coal oil when a can exploded in his hands as he was pouring the stuff into a heating stove early this morning, Alexandre Pena, 35 years old, 912 Fifteenth Avenue, suffered such severe burns that he is not expected to live.

His wife, Francesca, who also was covered with the oil as she was making up her bed in the same room, attempted to drag her husband from the place as a result of which her fingers are burned off at the tips on both hands and she suffered bad burns to her face, back, legs and arms.

The couple was hurried to the Mercy Hospital in the city ambulance, which was called by firemen shortly before 7 o'clock. Nothing was saved of the little two-room house in which they lived.

A story of the fire and possible fatal burning of at least one of his relatives is told by Amador G. Abina, 1408 South Ninth Street, whose wife is a sister of Mrs. Pena.

This man had walked into his yard when he heard screams from his sister-in-law. Looking up he saw the tiny home a few yards from the foot of the Abina garden in flames, the woman rushing frantically between the kitchen door and the alley and back again.

Running over to the house Abina kicked in the front door and was greeted by a gush of flames, columns of smoke and the odor of burning flesh. He crawled forward on his hands and knees and beside the wreck of the heating stove found Pena. The rescuer dragged the burning man to the outdoors and rolled him on the ground until the fire in his clothing was extinguished.

Mrs. Pena was able to walk to the home of her sister. Neighbors helped Albina carry her husband, whose face was burned and swollen and he was totally blind. Before the arrival of the ambulance the rescuer unclothed his brother-in-law and attempted to attend to the burned flesh, which covered every part of his body. In order to bare the man's feet his shoes had to be cut from him in strips.

Mrs. Pena was able to give her sister an account of how the accident occurred in the interval, which elapsed before the arrival of the ambulance.

"The slow was slow to burn and Alexandre wanted heat quickly, so he said "I'll make her burn," and had just started to pour in the oil from a full gallon can when the explosion occurred and he fell down all covered with fire," she said.

The can, which was dragged from the ruin by firemen was burst wide open at the bottom and a large hole was blown in the metal near the spout.

Alexandre Pena, 33 years old, who was burned when the coal oil can exploded in his hands as he was kindling a fire in a heating stove at his home, 912 Fifteenth Avenue, at 7 o"clock Monday morning, died at 8:30 last night at Mercy Hospital.

Mrs. Francisca Pena, his wife, who also suffered such burns to her face and body as to render her almost frantic from pain, is reported at the hospital to be showing no signs of improvement. Dr. R.S. Moth, who has charge of the case, was unable to give any favorable reports of the woman's chances for recovery.

The couple was in the living room of their small house when the man poured coal oil from a gallon can upon hot coals in the heating stove. The force of the explosion blew out the bottom of the can and burst one seam, forcing blazing oil into the flesh of his face, chest, hands and arms. As he lay half conscious on the floor before he was rescued by a relative who crawled to him on his hands and knees. Pena was burned from head to feet.

Mrs. Pena received her most severe burns in an attempt to drag the blazing form of her husband from the room. Her hands were burned to the bone, the ends of her fingers were charred away. It is believed by the doctor however, that she may have inhaled the flames as her husband undoubtedly did. Her face is burned, and if she recovers, probably permanently disfigured. This would indicated that she drew fire into her lungs as she screamed for help while running from the burning home after failing in her efforts to move her husband, hospital authorities say.

An investigation is being made into the deaths of Mr. and Mrs. Alexandre Pena, who succumbed to injuries sustained in a fire in their home Monday following the explosion of what was thought to be a can of kerosene, but which state inspectors say may have been gasoline. An inquest will be held as soon as the investigation has been completed. The state men say they have information that, through error, the Pens were sold gasoline instead of kerosene.

Mrs. Pena, who was burned, when she tied to rescue her husband, after he had been injured when the can exploded as he was igniting a fire in their home at 912 Fifteenth Avenue, passed away at a local hospital last night at 9 o'clock.