‘My heart goes out to them’: Auto shop owner dies after business explodes, catches fire

EXCELSIOR SPRINGS, Mo. (KCTV/Gray News) – A man is dead and another is injured after an explosion at an auto shop in Excelsior Springs, Missouri.

The explosion happened a little after 1 p.m. on Wednesday at Hart’s Auto Repair.

Police say the shop’s owner was cutting into a 55-gallon drum with a cutting torch when the drum exploded, causing the fire.

“It’s devastating,” said Nancy Walker, who lives nearby. “I feel sorry. My heart goes out to them.”

People who live nearby describe hearing a “boom” and then seeing smoke.

An apartment building nearby was temporarily evacuated before authorities got the fire under control at the business.

“I know we ran away from it,” said Drayven Killion, who was evacuated. “We were getting away from it, and my neighbors were.”

“There was a lot of smoke,” said Walker. “It would either be dark black or lighter. I had to go in the house because it affected my eyes and throat.”

Police and community members now ask the public to keep the victims in their thoughts and prayers.

“The family was here and witnessed much of what happened here today,” said Lt. Ryan Dowdy of the Excelsior Springs Police Department. “They are dealing with a lot.”

Police say another man who was injured was taken to a local hospital where he was treated for burns on his arm.

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