Two Workers Severely Burned in Freak Flash Fire

Two Angleton men were seriously injured Thursday when fumes in a tank they were painting ignited, leaving them with severe burns to most of their bodies.

Investigators are trying to get to the bottom of the flash fire accident, which caused the two men to suffer burns to between 75 percent and 100 percent of their bodies. They are currently receiving treatment at Houston's Memorial Hermann Hospital.

A third man was treated at the scene and declined treatment at a hospital.

The violent explosion occurred at Thermal Polymer Systems on Highway 288-B at approximately 4 in the afternoon on Thursday. The men were putting a coat of primer onto the tank when fumes ignited.

According to initial police investigation, a shop light the men were using to illuminate their task might have caused the initial spark that led to the explosion. The ignition happened so quickly that there was little structural damage to the tank.

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) will work with police to investigate the incident, while the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality found that there were no environmental concerns associated with the tragic accident.

Thermal Polymer Systems has no history of violations or other incidents, and are fully cooperating with all investigation procedures. The owners met with employees on Friday to discuss the event and to offer counseling.

"We're a very tight, close-knit family out here," one of the owners said. "Our employees are handling it the very best they can."

If you or somebody you love has been seriously injured in a workplace accident, contact the Houston workplace injury attorneys of Williams Kherkher today by calling 800-220-9341.