Vancouver Man Killed In Car Explosion

A 28-year-old man was killed Friday when an explosion ripped through the car he was in, police said.

Authorities responded about 7:45 a.m. to a report of a blast, and found Oleg A. Babichenko of Vancouver lying in the street near his Toyota station wagon.

Agents from the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, who were called in to assist Vancouver police, believed the explosion was caused by an unspecified “device,” a police news release said.

“We’re not ruling anything out,” police Lt. Rex Woodward said. “We’re at a very preliminary stage of our investigation.”

Woodward said Babichenko had had “some contact” with police, but he could not elaborate.

Several witnesses had pulled the victim from the car, police said. At least one witness was burned and was taken to a hospital for treatment.

Witnesses said the man appeared to be starting the car when the explosion occurred, police said.