A worker’s torch ignited propane that had been unknowingly leaking from a propane truck, triggering last week’s explosion at Stittco Energy Ltd., investigators have determined.
Manitoba’s Office of the Fire Commissioner has therefore ruled the explosion accidental, a spokesman for the department told The Reminder on Monday.
The spokesman said the investigation found the individual was preparing to work on the truck and lit a torch under the vehicle. Damages were estimated at $700,000, he added.
Reached for comment, Stittco spokeswoman Amanda Condie said the company had not been told of a conclusive finding and was of the understanding that the explosion remained under investigation as of late Monday afternoon.
The loud, violent explosion tore apart the mechanical shop in which the truck was parked, hurling chunks of twisted metal and jagged lumber through the air.
Officials said one individual, identified by Stittco as a third-party mechanic, sustained non-life-threatening injuries. The man, 33, was taken to Flin Flon General Hospital.
Flin Flon RCMP, who were called to the scene after the explosion, had no update on the man’s condition as of Monday, nor did Condie.
Mark Kolt, chief administrative officer and emergency coordinator with the City of Flin Flon, had said a witness at the scene told him a person got up from underneath a truck immediately after the explosion.
The explosion occurred at about 7:30 am last Wednesday, May 25. It was heard and felt from blocks away, including at Hudbay’s metallurgical plant. Many residents said their first thought was that a vehicle had rammed into their home or business.
Condie said Stittco was continuing to cooperate with authorities on the investigation. Asked whether the company would rebuild the mechanical shop, she said it was too early to determine the next steps.
