A welder died this afternoon after he was injured when vapors inside a fuel tank exploded in Englewood.
His family identified him as Erik Donaldson, 33, of Arvada. He is survived by his wife, Maria, and 6-year- old son, Wil Donaldson, a family spokesman said.
He passed away from his injuries at Swedish Medical Center in Englewood.
Donaldson was working on a 21,000-gallon tank was about half full of fuel and water when a fire ball erupted from a vent “and caught him,” said Englewood Fire Department spokeswoman Marla Wilcox.
The explosion happened at ACI Services, a 10-year-old environmental remediation and construction firm, at 2695 South Raritan St. near West Yale Avenue at about 4:30 p.m..
“They have a very good track record,” Wilcox said. “We’ve never had a problem out there.”
Other workers witnessed the blast and began CPR on the man before rescuers arrived, she said.
A man who answered the phone at the business hung up without taking questions.
Police and fire departments are investigating, and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration inspectors also will be involved in reviewing the incident, she said.
