Paint-Spraying Machine Explodes, Killing Operator
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A portable, high-pressure paint-spraying machine exploded at a furniture factory in Boyle Heights Friday morning, killing the man who was operating it. No other workers were believed to be injured seriously, although one was sprayed with paint.
Fire officials said the cause of the explosion that killed Salvador Mendoza, about 45, was not immediately determined.
Jesus Oblea Prado, 28, a co-worker at the Benedetti Corp. furniture plant on East 12th Street, said the morning shift was just getting under way shortly after 8 a.m. when the explosion rocked the plant. “By the time I turned around he was dead,” Prado said.
Los Angeles Fire Department Battalion Chief Ray Olsen said Mendoza apparently was getting ready to refill the backpack device with paint when the machine’s lid, which is bolted in place, blew off.
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