2 men burned in Wash. state methanol explosion while trying to ‘barrel ride’
By APMonday, July 19, 2010
2 men burned in Wash. state methanol explosion
SEDRO-WOOLLEY, Wash. — Two men who were apparently trying to take an unusual thrill ride were seriously injured in an explosion at a shop that builds and services race cars in Washington state.
Fire Chief Dean Klinger told the Skagit Valley Herald the men put about four gallons of methanol in a 55-gallon barrel in the parking lot Sunday night, sat on top and lit it for a “barrel ride.”
Klinger says, “Apparently it was supposed to slide across the parking lot like a rocket. Instead, it blew up.”
He says one end of the barrel flew 120 feet.
The men were responsive when paramedics arrived at Funk Racing. They were taken to a local hospital, then flown to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle with severe burns.
Information from: Skagit Valley Herald, www.skagitvalleyherald.com
