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Fatal Explosion at Minn. Farm Store
(AP) WACONIA, Minn.
One young man was killed and another injured after a propane tank exploded Wednesday at a farm supply company in Waconia, west of the Twin Cities. The victim was an employee of Waconia Farm Supply. His name was not released Wednesday, but friends told the Star Tribune he was a teenager and senior at Waconia High School.
Carver County Sheriff's Lt. Dave Williams told The Associated Press he couldn't confirm what the victim was doing when the tank exploded about 5 p.m., but he says the young man was definitely near the tank. Authorities are investigating. The injured young man suffered wounds that are not life-threatening, Williams said.
Waconia Farm Supply has more than 100 employees and sells farm equipment, lawn and garden supplies, fuel and feed.
Sheriff Bud Olson called the explosion "a pretty traumatic event."
The blast was followed by a fire in the main building, a sprawling compound that includes several buildings, fuel tanks and a nursery area. The fire was quickly extinguished, but the front of the main building, which includes an Ace Hardware storefront, was charred.
A safety inspection on Feb. 17 found two violations related to the handling and storage of compressed gases, according to Occupational Safety and Health Administration reports. One violation was classified as serious, which OSHA says could result in death or serious harm.
Waconia Farm Supply was initially fined $600 for the serious violation and $150 for the secondary offense. The case was closed April 7 after the firm paid a total of $525, which Minnesota OSHA spokesman James Honerman said indicated it had "addressed the violation in a timely fashion."
LuAnn Wenning, who lives across Highway 284 from the store, said she just finished mowing her lawn when she heard the blast.
"At first I thought it was gunfire," she said. "I could see stuff flying around," she said. A large piece of metal debris landed in her yard, near where her mother had just been sitting in a lawn chair.
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On the Net: http://www.waconiafarm.com/
___
Information from: Star Tribune, http://www.startribune.com
Copyright 2009 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
One young man was killed and another injured after a propane tank exploded Wednesday at a farm supply company in Waconia, west of the Twin Cities. The victim was an employee of Waconia Farm Supply. His name was not released Wednesday, but friends told the Star Tribune he was a teenager and senior at Waconia High School.
Carver County Sheriff's Lt. Dave Williams told The Associated Press he couldn't confirm what the victim was doing when the tank exploded about 5 p.m., but he says the young man was definitely near the tank. Authorities are investigating. The injured young man suffered wounds that are not life-threatening, Williams said.
Waconia Farm Supply has more than 100 employees and sells farm equipment, lawn and garden supplies, fuel and feed.
Sheriff Bud Olson called the explosion "a pretty traumatic event."
The blast was followed by a fire in the main building, a sprawling compound that includes several buildings, fuel tanks and a nursery area. The fire was quickly extinguished, but the front of the main building, which includes an Ace Hardware storefront, was charred.
A safety inspection on Feb. 17 found two violations related to the handling and storage of compressed gases, according to Occupational Safety and Health Administration reports. One violation was classified as serious, which OSHA says could result in death or serious harm.
Waconia Farm Supply was initially fined $600 for the serious violation and $150 for the secondary offense. The case was closed April 7 after the firm paid a total of $525, which Minnesota OSHA spokesman James Honerman said indicated it had "addressed the violation in a timely fashion."
LuAnn Wenning, who lives across Highway 284 from the store, said she just finished mowing her lawn when she heard the blast.
"At first I thought it was gunfire," she said. "I could see stuff flying around," she said. A large piece of metal debris landed in her yard, near where her mother had just been sitting in a lawn chair.
___
On the Net: http://www.waconiafarm.com/
___
Information from: Star Tribune, http://www.startribune.com
Copyright 2009 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
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