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Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

California firm chosen to investigate Waste-to-Energy incident that critically injured two workers

FILE - The Spokane Waste-to-Energy facility where an accident injured two workers is seen on Tuesday, Oct. 4, 2016, in Spokane, Wash. (Tyler Tjomsland / The Spokesman-Review)

The California-based investigative firm that examined the city’s practices following the death of a maintenance worker in 2004 will probe the boiler accident that badly burned two workers in October.

The Spokane City Council signed off on a contract Monday authorizing Exponent Inc. to investigate the Oct. 4 incident at the Waste-to-Energy Plant that critically burned Craig Law and Larry Pratt. The Department of Labor and Industries also is investigating the incident, which occurred inside one of the facility’s boilers.

City staff said Monday that Law had been released from Harborview Medical Center after treatment for steam burns.

The contract authorizes expenses for Exponent up to $48,700, with work scheduled to begin immediately. Exponent also was responsible for an investigation into the roof collapse at the city’s wastewater treatment plant in May 2004. Mike Cmos Jr. was killed in the incident, and two other men were injured.