Agencies Investigate Cause Of Eufaula Explosion That Injured 2 Men

Update: Eufaula city clerk sent News On 6 a copy of the cease and desist letter addressed to the property owner Thursday morning.  Read the letter.

New details have emerged about Tuesday's explosion that critically injured two Eufaula men, Michael Cox and Don Hamilton, who were inside the building during the blast.

The Department of Environmental Quality says an odor complaint was filed against Ford Sandblasting back in February.

The DEQ doesn't regulate odor, but now that this explosion happened, a spokesperson said they will review the case to see if any violations are found.

As two Ford Sandblasting employees recovered from the explosion that rocked parts of Eufaula, an OSHA investigator tried to piece together what led to the blast.

5/7/2013 Related Story: Explosion Causes Injuries At Eufaula Sandblasting Company

"They are doing an investigation after the explosion yesterday, looking for any kind of workplace violations or anything that falls under responsibility," said Wesley Dawson, with McIntosh County Emergency Management.

Mike Ford is the owner of the company. He declined to speak on camera, but told News On 6 he's had the business for nearly two decades. He said he's hired a lawyer to clear up any confusion.

"For 18 years, he's been operating here and now all of a sudden a horrible accident occurs, and now everybody says you're doing all this wrong," said Ford's attorney, Ken Dominic.

Fire officials say a propane leak caused the blast.

McIntosh County Emergency Management explains there were 11 tanks total inside the building and two small tanks ruptured.

Ford said there have been a lot of lies going around about what happened.

"There were some statements made by the mayor that my client was operating illegally and that there was some cease and desist letter sent by the city," Dominic said.

We requested those documents from the city, but the city clerk said the mayor must sign off on it, and she's out of town.

"If a cease and desist letter was sent, it's possible it was sent to someone different, maybe the property owner," Dominic said. "I don't have any idea. My client indicates, as far as I know, he was never contacted by anyone from the city."

Even though the building is barely standing and a lot of equipment was lost, Ford said his focus is geared toward the recovery of his employees.

Both employees are still in a Tulsa hospital in critical condition.