MILWAUKEE – The two victims who were seriously injured in an explosion at a Milwaukee Department of Public Works garageare civilians -- not city employees, according to Milwaukee Police.
Police say the injured are a 45-year-old man from Milwaukee and a 46-year-old man from Cudahy. They were both treated at area hospitals with serious injuries.
The explosion occurred at the DPW Lincoln Avenue Garage just before 1 p.m. Tuesday. It appeared to have happened inside a white van parked at a compressed natural gas pump.
A Department of Public Works spokeswoman tells TODAY'S TMJ4 that the public is allowed to access city compressed natural gas pumps, so there is nothing strange about the victims not being city employees.
An evacuation was ordered following the explosion and was extended after propane tanks were found in the van. The Milwaukee Fire Department worked with the Milwaukee police bomb squad to execute controlled explosions at the site.
Right now, it is still unclear what caused the explosion, but a fire official says it appears to be accidental.
Authorities are still investigating the incident.
