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Monday, June 25, 2007, 11:46 AM

MEEKER — Two Routt County teenagers died after an oil storage tank they were jumping on in the Routt National Forest exploded over the weekend, according to the Rio Blanco County Sheriff’s Department.

The incident occurred late Saturday night at an oil well site off Rio Blanco County Road 8, near Chapman Reservoir, about 68 miles northeast of Meeker.

Samuel Hedemark, 17, of Phippsburg and Christopher King Fuller, 19, of Yampa, died in the explosion.

Rio Blanco County Undersheriff Michael Joos said the teens were among approximately 16 people, aged 17 to 27, partying at the site.

Joos said witnesses told investigators the teens were jumping up and down on the tank, owned by Pinnacle Oil Co., when it exploded. Their bodies were found about 400 feet from the tank.

He said a dog also was killed in the incident, but no one else was hurt.

Joos said the half-full storage tank contained about 160 barrels of oil. As the teens jumped up and down, they caused the metal to flex, he said. A relief valve on top of the tank allowed vapors to escape that ignited, Joos said.

“One of them was smoking and there was a bon fire nearby, so there were several ignition sources,” he said.

Joos said alcohol was involved in the incident, which is under investigation by the Colorado Bureau of Investigation and sheriff’s department.

— Mike McKibbin

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Submitted on 06/25/2007

Submitted by: Anonymous
Reference: GJ Sentinel June 25, 2007

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Bruce said:
Definitely Keep: For Darwin's Eyes
Thanks for sending this in. We've already received a number of repeates of this story but this is the first one I've seen that has more specifics on the cause of the explosion.

James said:
Definitely Keep: For Darwin's Eyes
Interesting! It was one of those "parties", apparently! I'm not too worried about the victims being downgraded to bystanders due to the possibility of an outside ignition source, as it wouldn't have happened if they just stayed off the damn thing in the first place! :-)

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