TWO road workers have learnt the hard way about mixing cigarettes and fuel after a big explosion at a Brisbane tunnel worksite.
Fire officers said the workers arrived at the tunnel building site in Park Road, Woolloongabba, about 10pm Sunday and opened up a 20 litre container with fuel and bitumen inside.
Queensland Fire and Rescue senior operations coordinator Paul Simmons said the fumes were ignited by the cigarette creating a “bang”.
“The force of the explosion was so great it threw the container 20 metres into the side of a parked truck,” said Senior Operations Coordinator with Queensland Fire and Rescue Paul Simmons.
He said both men were treated on site by ambulance for burns to their faces and arms before being taken to hospital.
“It was just a situation where everything was right. The ratio of fuel vapours to oxygen were at just the right level for an explosion and the cigarette was a sufficient ignition source.”
Workplace, Health and Safety is expected to investigate the incident further today.
