GREELEY, Colo.—Authorities say a pickup truck’s hot catalytic converter ignited vapors from a flat tank at an oil well, sparking an explosion that sent two workers to a Greeley hospital.
Weld County Undersheriff Margie Martinez says the blast occurred about 7:30 a.m. Wednesday at a site west of Greeley.
Martinez says two employees suffered facial burns and were taken to North Colorado Medical Center. A third worker was treated at the scene for minor burns.
Union Colony Fire Chief Dale Lyman says the open-topped tank contained a petroleum product mixture whose vapors hovered close to the ground due to cold temperatures. The vapors ignited in a flash fire when the pickup carrying workers arrived at the site.
The names of the workers have not been released.
