A small explosion injured two electricians working on a high-voltage box behind a Wal-Mart Supercenter in Aurora this morning, landing them in a local hospital and shutting the store’s doors.
The electricians, whose names were not released, were burned on their faces and hands when the box blew out at about 10:20 a.m., said Aurora Fire Department spokesman Capt. Mike Ackman.
The box “arced or sparked or whatever, and there was a pretty large flash and heat,” he said.
He wasn’t sure what the two were trying to do with the box. Before firefighters arrived, people at the Wal-Mart blasted the still-sparking box with a fire extinguisher.
Three employees breathed the extinguisher chemicals, and firefighters treated them at the scene.
The company was not sure when the store would reopen, Wal-Mart spokeswoman Jami Arms said.
“We’re currently cooperating with the fire department on the investigation,” Arms said. “The safety of our customers and associates is a primary concern.”
The Wal-Mart, at 3301 N. Tower Road, is an experimental store opened in November and aimed at being environmentally friendly. The corporation built the Aurora store to use solar and wind energy, and contracted with the U.S National Renewable Energy Laboratory in Golden.
Staff writer Brandon Lowrey can be reached at 303-820-1201 or at blowrey@denverpost.com.
