Worker severely burned in explosion at Arkansas plant

HELENA-WEST HELENA, Ark. — One person was severely burned and two people were injured after an explosion at Hoffinger Industries in West Helena, Arkansas Tuesday morning.

According to law enforcement sources, the explosion started at the manufacturer of Doughboy above-ground swimming pools when an employee was filling up a propane tank.

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The employee was then airlifted to the hospital in critical condition.

“There was a shed of some sort where they refuel the propane tanks for the forklifts and one forklift was backed in and burned just badly just down to the point of metal it seems like and there was a forklift parked in front of that that had been scorched really badly as well,” said James Valley, Chief of Staff for the City of Helena-West Helena, Arkansas.

Valley says Helena-West Helena Firefighters quickly contained the propane fire and paramedics treated the victims while the investigation began into what caused the explosion.

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“My understanding from what I gathered while I was out there with the Fire Department people was that these three men were going to refill the forklift tanks and something malfunctioned and one of the tanks blew and it caused an immediate fire,” Valley said.

Hoffinger Industries and Doughboy Pools have been part of the community’s fabric for more than 60 years and are major employers.

Valley says the incident has impacted many lives.

“The Mayor did this morning early expressed a request for people to pray for everybody impacted by this,” Valley said.

The fire department says they are not finished with their official report on the explosion.

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