One of the men seriously injured in an explosion Wednesday in Guthrie has been released from the hospital.
Family members say Benn Andrew Stahl came back to Trenton from Vanderbilt University Medical Center Saturday night, an incredible development, considering he suffered second and third degree burns to his face and upper chest area, in addition to serious chemical burns to his mouth, eyes and esophagus. He will still require around the clock treatment at home for his wounds, but is reportedly very happy to be back in Todd County instead of the hospital.
Stahl is the Guthrie and Trenton water department superintendent and a Trenton volunteer firefighter.
As previously reported, a vacuum truck waste hauler from Onsite Environmental was removing an alkaline lye solution for a holding tank at the Quick Turn Anodizing facility on Second Street in Guthrie shortly before 1 p.m. Wednesday.
Near the end of that process, what was described as white smoke or steam was seen coming from the area of the truck which was parked directly in front of the building and within a few minutes, the tank containing approximately 300 gallons of the solution catastrophically failed at its end cap seam.
The end cap flew approximately 125 feet to the north landing in a vacant lot and the remainder of the tank went through the exterior of the building, through an interior partition and hit a support beam before finally coming to a stop about 100 feet away, just short of exiting the rear of the building.
Stahl was eating lunch with Trenton Baptist Church Pastor Greg Mathis at the nearby American Café and responded to investigate and assist when he saw the initial smoke.
Benn’s brother, Jonathan, thanked the many bystanders and first responders who arrived shortly after the incident and assisted with caring for all of the victims.
The blast killed 34-year old Bryan Bonilla of Clarksville, sent two people to local hospitals and sent Stahl and another man to Vanderbilt.
The incident remains under investigation by several state agencies.