MYNORTHWEST NEWS

Kirkland car dealership explosion injures employee

Oct 11, 2022, 7:04 AM | Updated: 9:08 am

car dealership...

(Photo by Steve Pfost/Newsday RM via Getty Images)

(Photo by Steve Pfost/Newsday RM via Getty Images)

An explosion at a Kirkland car dealership sent one person to the hospital Monday evening.

Kirkland Fire Battalion Chief Seth Buchanan says an employee of Volkswagen of Kirkland was vaping in the designated smoking area behind the business when the explosion happened.

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The smoking area had some empty 55-gallon drums that once held flammable liquids, and investigators believe the residue of one of the drums may have been ignited because of the vaping.

The employee was taken to Harborview Medical Center to be treated for their injuries.

There has been no word on their condition, but they were conscious when they left in the ambulance.

No structures at the business caught on fire and there was no damage reported to the business.

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