ALAMEDA  (AP) — A San Francisco man narrowly survived being squashed after a propane tank exploded nearby, sending a large piece of metal smashing into the rear end of the man’s car.

Alameda County Fire Department spokeswoman Aisha Knowles said Friday that 62-year-old Jose Castillo had arrived early to his job at a metal fabrication company and had pushed his car seat back to relax at about 7 a.m. Friday when he suddenly heard a loud crash.

An employee at a scrap yard across the street had cut into a five-gallon propane tank when it exploded, sending a piece of itself hurtling hundreds of yards away.

The back of Castillo’s Honda Civic was totaled.

Knowles says he is lucky to be alive but suffered a minor injury to his shoulder.