An Orange county man injured in a late November chemical explosion at a Huntingburg diesel shop has died.
Officials with the Huntingburg Volunteer Fire Department confirmed Wednesday night that 54-year-old John Deel of French Lick passed away at Eskenazi Health in Indianapolis on Monday.
The accident took place at Styline Diesel Monday November 27th around 8:30 am.
Huntingburg Fire Department spokesperson John Smith told WBDC News after the incident that Deel was cleaning in a service pit when fumes from a solvent-based cleaner he was using ignited fumes that had built up.
He said after the explosion occurred Deel exited the service pit with his clothes a blaze and a fellow employee used an extinguisher to put out the flash fire out before others offered first aid.
He was taken by ambulance from the scene to Memorial Hospital in Jasper and was eventually transferred to an Indianapolis medical facility for further treatment.
No other injuries were reported in the accident and no apparent damage was sustained to the Styline facility. An investigator with the Indiana State Fire Marshall’s office was called in to look into the incident.
A Celebration of Life Ceremony for John Deel will be held at 6 o’clock this evening (Thursday) at the Redemption Christian Church in Jasper.
Burial will be at a later date in the Crystal Community Cemetery.
