One worker dead and another injured after explosion at Lincoln lumber mill, police say
One maintenance worker died and another employee was injured Thursday during an explosion at a Lincoln lumber mill as they worked on an air compressor, officials confirmed Friday.
The explosion was reported about noon Thursday at the Sierra Pacific Industries lumber mill at 1440 Lincoln Blvd., said Lincoln Police Chief Doug Lee. The Placer County Sheriff’s Office said the worker who died was a 34-year-old man from Lincoln.
He was identified as Milo Fryer Jr., a maintenance worker, by Mark Luster, a community relations manager with Sierra Pacific Industries. Luster said he could not comment on details of the explosion, which is being investigated by the California Division of Occupational Safety and Health.
“We have to wait for the investigation to understand what happened,” Luster said. “Our thoughts and prayers go out to their families at this difficult time.”
Luster confirmed the man injured in the explosion also was an employee at the lumber mill. He declined to release that worker’s name.
The police chief said officers and firefighters responded to the reported explosion at the lumber mill and found one man who was walking around and appeared to have suffered minor injuries.
The injured man was taken by ambulance to a hospital for treatment. Lee said the other worker, Fryer, had suffered significant injuries in the explosion and was pronounced dead at the scene.
The two men had been working on a large, commercial air compressor when “something exploded,” Lee said.
Since the incident is being investigated by Cal OSHA, Lee said officers who questioned witnesses and took photos to document the scene will hand over that information to state officials and the Placer County Coroner’s Office.
He said no other injuries were reported.
