[kellyhound]

Originally Posted by TheUrinator ↗

I think the guy in black shirt was soldering the copper lines, the torch was behind the AC. Could have gotten distracted by the guy walking up on him and torch burned the oxy/acetylene hoses and exploded. I’ve done that kind of work before and know those hazards.

Outcome after investigation showed the technicians were attempting to perform a quick repair on a refrigerant leak.

They were using a gas brazing torch to weld nearby piping without completely evacuating the internal compressor oil and remaining volatile chemical gases first.

The heat from the welding flame triggered an instantaneous, violent chemical reaction inside the airtight steel dome of the pressurized compressor, essentially turning the outer casing into an exploding fragmentation bomb. One dead, one survived.

[WayneMan]

Originally Posted by Necrotic Bowel ↗

Hard to believe one of them survived that. At first I didn’t even see the guy crouched down behind the AC

I didn’t see the other dude either. If one “survived” he probably wishes he hadn’t.
They both looked vaporized.

[AllegedlyHere]

For such a tragedy, he sure remained cool. Every last piece of him.