Officials: Fatal explosion in Waconia was accident

Authorities say a June explosion that killed one person at Waconia Farm Supply was an accident.

The Carver County Sheriff's Office, the Waconia Fire Department and the state Fire Marshal's Office announced findings of their investigation Wednesday.

They concluded a 100-pound propane cylinder exploded, killing 18-year-old Ryan Samuelson of Cologne.

Deputy State Fire Marshal Bruce McLaughlin says testing on cylinder pieces showed it previously contained acetylene - a highly flammable gas that's safely stored only in acetylene cylinders after being dissolved into a solvent to keep the gas stable.

In any other container without safety features, acetylene could generate enough heat to cause a violent explosion.

The state Occupational Safety and Health Administration says there will be no citations.

(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

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