Officials identify two men killed in Idaho gas station explosion

Authorities have identified two people killed when a gas station exploded and caught fire in a remote Idaho town last week.

The Clearwater County Sheriff’s Office said Brandon Cook, 53, of Orofino, and Wesley Lineberry, 62, of Pierce, were killed in the explosion at the Atkinson Distribution Station in Cardiff on Sept. 11 .

Two others were badly burned in the explosion and subsequent fire and remained hospitalized Wednesday. Separate GoFundMe pages identified the injured as tanker driver Donny Billeter and gas station attendant Roxann Hubbs.

A fuel semi-tanker was in the process of filling above-ground tanks at the station when the explosion occurred just after 3 p.m., Idaho State Fire Marshal Knute Sandahl said. The explosion destroyed the tanker and sent debris, including truck parts, pipes, pieces of the tank and pieces of the gas station building, flying over an area the size of a block, Sandahl said.

Both the tanker driver and the gas station attendant were near the truck when the explosion occurred. The bodies of Lineberry and Cook were found just outside the gas station, but investigators have not yet confirmed whether they were inside or outside the building when the disaster began, Sandahl said.

It’s not yet clear what caused the explosion, Sandahl said, and the National Transportation Safety Board and Occupational Safety and Health Administration are assisting in the investigation.

“We’re digging deep and it’s going to take some time,” Sandahl said. “Hopefully we’ll have something more definitive to release in October sometime.”

Some nearby buildings were also damaged by the explosion and fire, and fuel left at the scene was an obstacle for investigators. A regional hazardous materials response team was called in to help mitigate the hazard.

Gas station explosions are rare, Sandahl said.

“In my 19 years as state fire marshal here in Idaho, this is the first incident that I’m aware of,” he said.

Offloading — the process of moving fuel from a tanker truck to a station’s storage tanks — increases the risk somewhat, but is still usually a very safe process because drivers follow specific procedures, he said.

“Honestly, I think the most dangerous thing is to fuel your vehicle while smoking or filling plastic cans in the back of the truck,” which increases the risk of sparks from static electricity, Sandahl said. “As we know from high school chemistry, actually vapors are volatile and if a spark is introduced it can cause a problem.”

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