Worker killed in Army depot explosion died of burns
An explosion was reported at around 7 a.m. Thursday morning, July 19, 2018 at Letterkenny Army Depot, in Chambersburg, Pa. A small explosion Thursday in a vehicle shop at the Army depot injured at least four workers, three of them seriously, officials said. (Markell DeLoatch/Public Opinion via AP)
CHAMBERSBURG (AP) — A coroner says a civilian worker killed in a fire and explosion at an Army facility in Pennsylvania died of burns.
The Lehigh County coroner’s office on Friday identified the victim as 29-year-old Eric Byers, a resident of the Philadelphia suburbs.
Byers was pronounced dead just after 7 p.m. Thursday at Lehigh Valley Hospital-Cedar Crest. The coroner’s office says Byers was handling chemicals when a flash fire occurred.
Four other civilian employees were injured in the fire at Letterkenny Army Depot. The depot’s commander says two remain hospitalized in critical but stable condition.
The blast and fire occurred in a painting area for vehicles on Thursday morning at the facility in Chambersburg, about 160 miles west of Philadelphia. The cause is under investigation.
