2 injured in explosion at Sikeston business; Fire Marshal explains cause

SIKESTON, Mo. (KFVS) - Two men were rushed to area hospitals after an explosion at a Sikeston business on Wednesday morning, February 15.

According to Sikeston Department of Public Safety, two employees at PTI, Potashnick Transportation Inc., were injured when a metal drum they were cutting into exploded.

Sikeston DPS Sgt. Tyler Rowe said one man was severely injured, with an open fracture to the head and burns to the body. The second man had burns to his lower extremities.

DPS firefighters and crews from New Madrid County and South Scott Ambulance were initially called to the scene at 7:15 a.m. to a report of fire inside of a building and two people were severely injured. Off-duty personnel also responded to the scene.

When the first crews arrived, they began treating both victims immediately.

The second crew started putting out the fire.

The two employees were then taken to area a Cape Girardeau hospital for severe burns and trauma.

In a Facebook post, PTI said the two men were seriously injured and both were transferred to a burn unit at a St. Louis hospital.

According to the post, three of the men’s colleagues, Michael Meahan, Grant Nole and Tammy Draper, assisted during the situation. They all helped take care of the injured men and pull them to safety, and Draper was able to extinguish the fire.

According to Fire Marshal Sgt. James Whitley, the cutting torch the men were using to cut into the empty 55-gallon drum contained explosive vapors.

Sgt. Whitley explained the drum caught on fire and immediately exploded, causing the drum to hit one of the men in the head.

DPS said the shop area where the men were working has moderate fire damage.

According to the PTI website, the company is a trucking business, which carries freight within the contiguous forty-eight states.

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