Explosion burns man at Vancouver bag factory

A man was sent to an area hospital with second-degree burns on his arms after being engulfed in a fireball at a Vancouver business late Wednesday, officials said.

Firefighters responded to a reported explosion at 11:55 p.m. at 1401 W. Fourth Plain Boulevard at the Bemis Company, said Kevin Stromberg, a fire department spokesman.

Firefighters learned a male worker had been refilling his forklift with propane. After the man vented the propane tank to make sure it was full -- the same procedure used with propane tanks for home grills -- he started the forklift, Stromberg said. Gas vapors in the air ignited, causing the fireball.

The man had second-degree burns on both arms and was transported to a local hospital, Stromberg said.

The man’s name was not released.

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