Abstract: At approximately 8:45 a.m. on November 5, 2001, Employees #1 and #2 and two coworkers were hooking a 3 in. metal hose return line from a valve situated over a tank of liquid asphalt to the top of a trailer tank that was attached to a tractor. Employee #1, who was up on the tank doing the actual hook-up, said he thought that the line was heavier than normal and that maybe it had a plug of hardened asphalt in it. The two coworkers handed Employee #2 a propane torch and he began to heat the line to melt the plug. Either Employee #1 or Employee #2 then said, "That's good," and Employee #1 started down the ladder. At this point, a flash erupted from the top of the trailer, and within 3 seconds a fireball engulfed the trailer in flames. One of the coworkers summoned emergency medical services, shortly after which the truck's fuel tank apparently exploded. Employee #1 was pronounced dead at the scene. Employee #2 was transported to Shriner's Burn Hospital in Cincinnati, where he died the following day.