MECHANICVILLE, Va. — Bryson Lewis, a 21-year-old King William man, was killed in an explosion Monday evening in Mechanicsville, according to investigators in Hanover.
Lewis, according to friends, was the father to a little girl.
"It has been determined that the incident was a result of flammable vapors being ignited while the top of a 55-gallon drum was being removed with cutting tools," Hanover Fire-EMS spokesperson
Gregory Martin wrote in an email. "During the course of the investigation, no other parties were found to be injured in the incident, nor any damage to property."
Emergency responders were called to the 6000 block of Billingswood Drive in Mechanicsville at about 5:08 p.m. on Monday for the explosion.
"Citizens [should] use extreme caution when working with containers that previously held flammable or combustible contents," Martin's email continued. "Extra precautions should be used, such as filling the container with water or other efforts to suppress any remaining vapors prior to the use of tools that could create an ignition source."
This is a developing story, so anyone with more information can email newstips@wtvr.com to send a tip.
