Man with severe burns puts off hospital visit

POPLAR BLUFF, Mo. -- During a party on Monday night, a man says a methamphetimine lab exploded at the back of a modular home near Poplar Bluff, catching his shirt on fire and leaving severe burns on his head, face, chest and arms. Ernie L. Adams, 29, of Rombauer waited until Wednesday to seek medical attention because the home's owner told him not to go to the emergency room, according to police reports. Adams said a woman was also burned on her hands, but has not divulged information on the homeowner or other people at the party. In reporting the incident, Adams told police that "something exploded in the back room and a large flash came down the hallway and struck him in the chest and face."