Propane Tank Blast Kills One
A lift truck ruptured a pipe from a propane tank Sunday at Weyerhaeuser Co.’s pulp-and-paper mill here, triggering a blast and fire that killed one person and slightly injured two others, a company official said.
The plant was shut down at the time for annual maintenance.
A lift truck doing maintenance around the plant’s recovery boiler ran into an above-ground pipe from a propane tank, breaking it and releasing gas, Weyerhaeuser spokesman Rullie Harris said.
An explosion and fire resulted, killing a man doing contract maintenance work for Weyerhaeuser, Harris said. Two others suffered minor injuries, he said.
Names of the dead and injured were not released.
Two trucks nearby also caught fire.
Weyerhaeuser firefighters quickly put out the blaze, and company officials were trying to determine what ignited the flammable gas.