Man Burned by Fireball Outside Washington Business
A man was sent to the hospital with second-degree burns on his arms after being engulfed in a fireball at a Vancouver business late Wednesday, officials said.
Firefighters responded to a reported explosion at 11:55 p.m. at 1401 W. Fourth Plain Boulevard at the Bemis Company, said Kevin Stromberg, a fire department spokesman.
Firefighters learned an adult male worker had been refilling his forklift with propane. After the man vented the propane tank to make sure it was full -- the same procedure used with propane tanks for home grills -- he started the forklift, Stromberg said. Gas vapors in the air ignited causing the fireball.
The man had second-degree burns on both arms and was transported to a local hospital, Stromberg said.
The man's name isn't available at this time.
A Vancouver Fire Marshal is investigating.
Copyright 2012 - The Columbian, Vancouver, Wash.
McClatchy-Tribune News Service