Two Critical Victims In Dam Explosion Severely Burned

Two workers injured in the explosion at a hydroelectric dam in central Washington remain in critical condition Friday afternoon with burns covering more than 20 percent of their bodies.

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Sam Mandell is a surgeon at Harborview Medical Center in Seattle, where the patients are being treated. Both are men are in their 40s.

Mandell declined to elaborate on the extent of each individual's burns, but referred to them as “large burns." He suggested the survival rate is pretty good.

“The larger the burn, obviously the lower the survival rate," Mandell said. "But for medium-sized burns -- just a general burn over 20 percent -- in a younger, healthier patient, 90-plus percent.”

Mandell said the injuries appear to be consistent with flames from what’s called an “arc flash.” In those cases, superheated gases can cause heat burns or ignite things like clothing.

Mandell said his team is also on the lookout for specific types of injuries caused when electrical current passes through a person’s body.

"The challenge with those is that you can get deeper tissue injury that’s not always readily apparent," Mandell said. "You can get heart rhythm changes that can be dangerous or life threatening and muscle damage. And those are the type of things that we really look carefully for.”

Three other workers injured in the explosion are in satisfactory condition at Harborview.

The explosion happened Thursday afternoon at the Priest Rapids Dam near the central Washington city of Mattawa.

A spokesman with the utility said they are investigating the incident, along with state officials. It’s not yet known what caused the equipment to malfunction.