1 dead, 2 hurt in Washington fireworks explosion

An explosion at a fireworks plant in Washington state fatally injured a 75-year-old man Wednesday morning and also injured two other employees, a Thurston County sheriff's officer said, The Associated Press reported.

The oldest man died while awaiting an airlift to a regional trauma center, sheriff's Lt. Greg Elwin said.

Also hurt were a 25-year-old man who was flown to a Seattle hospital with burns and trauma and a 52-year-old man taken to a nearby hospital.

The explosion and fire at Entertainment Fireworks, south of Olympia, destroyed a cloth-walled working area and part of a large box truck, Elwin said.

The man who died was a long-time company employee, the sheriff's spokesman said. Thurston County Coroner Gary Warnock said late Wednesday he had not yet released the man's name pending notification of relatives.

Representatives from the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms and the state Department of Labor and Industries are investigating.

"Right now this appears to be non-criminal and non-intentional — an unfortunate accident related to this type of business," Elwin said.

The company produces professional fireworks shows around the region. Workers were preparing shells for shipping, but the cause of the explosion is unknown, Ken Julian, Entertainment Fireworks vice president of operations, said in a statement.