Fireworks found in debris
WORLEY – Fragments of fireworks were discovered in the burnt debris from the fire and explosion that killed two men Thursday at the Coeur d’Alene Casino, but authorities haven’t determined the amount of fireworks or the cause of the explosion, according to the Kootenai County Sheriff’s Department.
The identities of the two men killed in the incident were confirmed Friday as casino maintenance workers Donald S. Hanson, of Fairfield, Wash., and Richard E. Stokes, of Rockford, Wash., said sheriff’s Capt. Ben Wolfinger.
The bodies of the men were inside a large metal shipping container that had caught fire Thursday morning. Firefighters discovered the bodies after extinguishing the blaze.
Wolfinger said the investigation – which is being conducted by the Sheriff’s Department and the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives – will likely continue into next week because of the busy Fourth of July holiday.
The casino canceled fireworks shows it had scheduled for Saturday and Tuesday nights.
A casino security officer directed all inquires about the fire to tribal spokesman Quanah Spencer and casino spokesman Bob Bostwick. Neither could be reached Friday for comment.
Louie Harris, who works at a fireworks stand just down the highway from the casino, said he was working when the explosion happened Thursday morning about 8:40 a.m.
“There was a big explosion and a mushroom cloud of smoke,” Harris said. “That’s all I heard was a single boom.”
Rumors are flying around the reservation about what caused the explosion, but none has been confirmed by authorities.
Harris said he heard that Hanson and Stokes had two-way radios that somehow ignited the fireworks in the storage facility. Worley resident Brian Sczenski said he heard that the men were preparing to move a large amount of fireworks out of the storage facility to get ready for Saturday’s show, and something sparked inside the facility, causing the explosion.
Tribal member David Comer works at the same fireworks stand as Harris and said even his relatives who work at the casino don’t know details of the incident.