Painter Dies from Explosion Burns
BOISE, Idaho (AP) — A 58-year-old Greenleaf man has died of injuries suffered after an explosion and fire in a van he was riding in in Caldwell. The Idaho State Police says Jose L. Gonzalez died early Thursday in Salt Lake City, where he had been hospitalized since the Aug. 7 fire. The ISP says the explosion happened after 30-year-old Roman Gonzalez lighted a cigarette and then accidentally dropped it on the floor of the van, which was carrying paint and other chemicals. The cigarette lighted chemical vapors, causing an explosion. Roman Gonzales and 50-year-old Ramon Gonzalez jumped out of the van while it was still moving, but Jose Gonzalez couldn't get out of the back seat until the van crashed through a fence.