Authorities have released more details about a fatal explosion on 2nd Street in Guthrie Wednesday afternoon.
Todd County Emergency Management says a vacuum truck waste hauler from Onsite Environmental was removing an alkaline lye solution from a holding tank at Quick Turn Anodizing on 2nd Street when white smoke or steam started coming from the area of the truck which was parked directly in front of the building.
The tank containing approximately 300 gallons of the solution reportedly failed at its end cap seam sending the cap into a vacant lot and the tank went through the exterior of the building, through an interior partition hitting a support beam before finally coming to a stop near the rear of the building.
Authorities say 34-year-old Bryan Bonilla of Clarksville died when the flying tank struck him and another employee working near the center of the building. Also injured was the driver of the truck who was thrown into the vacant lot and a Guthrie city employee and Trenton firefighter Benn Stahl who had seen the initial smoke while eating at a restaurant and went to help.
Trenton Fire Department Chief John Stahl says his brother Benn Stahl suffered second and third-degree burns from his chest up and chemical burns in his mouth and eyes.
Benn Stahl remains at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville and is unable to talk but is doing good John Stahl says adding his family would like to thank all of the emergency personnel along with everyone who has reached out to help.
The Kentucky State Fire Marshall and the Kentucky Environmental Cabinet are investigating the explosion and at this time authorities believe that for some reason an organic fat such as cooking oil became mixed with the alkaline wastewater in the tank which resulted in an exothermic saponification reaction.
This reaction reportedly raised the temperature inside the tank causing the water portion of the solution to boil and raising the pressure inside it to a point beyond its designed strength resulting in the failure of the tank seam.
Two people were reportedly transported by ambulance to Tennova Healthcare in Clarksville.
The road was blocked off as hazmat, officials with the EPA, and other investigators worked to clear the area and investigate what happened. Quick Turn Anodizing specializes in custom Aluminum Anodizing to include Type IC, II Sulfuric Acid & Type III Hard Coat Anodizing to include both Clear and Color Classes.
