California IN BRIEF : MENLO PARK : Fatal Blast Blamed on Faulty Equipment

Equipment failure probably caused a fatal laboratory explosion involving cold fusion research, fire investigators said. The blast at SRI International that killed one researcher and injured three others occurred after an automatic pressure-release valve failed on a sealed canister, said Menlo Park Fire Capt. Jim Lichtenstein. “One of the experimenters tried to open it manually to release the pressure valve and that’s when it blew up,” Lichtenstein said. “We’re pretty sure that’s the cause of the explosion now.” Scientist Andrew Riley, 33, of Woodside, was killed in the explosion. The three researchers were treated for injuries caused by flying glass, metal and other material.