Backfire injures Stimson worker

PRIEST RIVER — A freak backfire in the boiler room at Stimson Lumber in Priest River, sent one employee to Seattle’s Harborview Medical Center on Sunday afternoon.

According to Stimson Lumber manager Leroy Campbell, employee Harry Marti is in satisfactory condition with burns on his face and one hand. Because of the type of fire, initial concern was that he had inhaled fire during the blast, causing internal injuries, Campbell said.

“Harborview stated that Harry was in satisfactory condition on Monday so we are grateful for that. We are doing an internal ongoing investigation and had a boiler expert here today. The backfire was from a gas buildup, but we won’t know for sure until we complete our report,” Campbell said.

West Pend Oreille Fire Department Chief Les Kokanos said 13 volunteers from the department responded to the Stimson Lumber fire.

They were on scene for six hours putting out small fires from the initial explosion. Emergency personnel from Bonner County Sheriff’s Department, EMS, and Priest River Police Department also responded to the accident.