Abstract: Two employees came to inspect and repair an aboveground, unleaded 18,000-gallon gasoline tank. The tank was empty except for accumulations of sludge and remaining vapors. The tank was to be purged of vapors by attaching the compressor to a vent at the top of the tank. Employee #2 stated that bonding cables had been attached from the tank to the vent and he had begun to remove the drain valve from the bottom of the tank when the explosion occurred, blowing the end out of the tank and igniting the adjacent 12,000-gallon tank containing approximately 2,000 gallons of kerosene. Employee #1 was killed and Employee #2 received third-degree burns over 85 percent of his body. Employee #2 was hospitalized.