Two men suffered serious burns after an explosion and fire Tuesday at ICES Corp. in Cleveland, Oklahoma. The men, the only employees in the building at the time of the incident, were cleaning and repairing the floors when they heard an explosion around 1:30 p.m.
The resulting fire quickly spread through the building, reaching heats as high as 1,300˚F or 1,400˚F, Cleveland Fire Chief Ryan Murray told local media. Large portions of the building were constructed of sheet metal, which intensified the heat of the fire, he said.
Located off of Highway 64 just South of Cleveland, ICES Corp. makes components for the aerospace industry. Fire crews were unable to save the building,
An initial investigation by the Fire Marshall indicates that a spark from one of the cleaning and buffing machines may have ignited a cleaning chemical. The badly burned men were transported to a Tulsa hospital for treatment.
Sources:
http://www.news9.com/story/34137729/firefighters-battle-major-building-fire-in-pawnee-county
http://www.fox23.com/news/police-explosion-at-commercial-company-near-cleveland-likely-a-total-loss/479225275
http://ktul.com/news/local/explosion-fire-reported-at-cleveland-okla-manufacturing-business