2 Killed, 9 Injured When Fuel Tank Catches Fire, Explodes
WINTERSET, Iowa — A rusty fuel tank caught fire as it was being cut apart Friday, then exploded as firefighters tried to control the flames. At least two people--a firefighter and one of the men cutting the tank--died, and nine others were injured.
Two people were seriously injured and seven firefighters were treated and released, Police Chief Clyde Klave said.
“It’s an awful loss,” said Jerry Lee Schwertfeger, mayor of the town of 4,200 people. “This doesn’t happen to a small community very often.”
A man was cutting apart one of two fuel tanks in a lot behind an automobile body shop when the tank caught fire. After firefighters arrived about 11:15 a.m., the tank exploded.
Debris was blown at least 100 feet by the force of the blast.
The tanks are about the size of a full-size van and are supported on 10-foot platforms. One tank was still standing Friday afternoon; the other had crumpled to the ground.
“It just shook the entire house and the entire area,” said Shelli Manning, who lives about three blocks away.
Winterset is 25 miles southwest of Des Moines.
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