Two fuel-tank repairmen died tragically in The Bronx yesterday when they were overcome by toxic fumes while cleaning out an old boiler in an apartment building, authorities said.
Stunned co-workers discovered the bodies of the two men inside the 4,000-gallon container at the building at 1876 Arthur Ave. in East Tremont at around 1 p.m., about five hours after they had started working, cops said.
The victims' co-workers, toiling outside the tank, first grew concerned when the pair failed to climb out of the container for lunch.
The two men had apparently succumbed to a deadly combination of fumes from their powerful cleaning fluids and residual fuel in the tank. It took firefighters about two hours to pull their bodies out.
The victims were identified as Add Insond Rivera, 33, of The Bronx, and Manuel Ramos, 49, of Manhattan. They worked for the A.L. Eastmond & Sons Oil Tank Co. in The Bronx, authorities said.
The company had been hired to clean the boiler because the building was changing over to a new grade of fuel, officials said.
Earlier this year, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration identified the company as one of 14,200 U.S. businesses with higher-than-average injury and illness rates and urged it to improve its safety record.