Officials have classified the incident as accidental.
abbeville MAN DIES IN NEW IBERIA WORKSHOP FIRE
IBERIA PARISH — State Fire Marshal (SFM) deputies are continuing their investigation into the circumstances surrounding a workshop fire that claimed the life of an Abbeville man.
Around 1 p.m. on Feb. 28, New Iberia Fire District #1 responded to a call for a fire and explosion in a workshop located in the 5500 block of Claude Viator Road. Firefighters arrived to find two men with moderate injuries and one man with serious injuries. All three were transported to an area hospital. Unfortunately, the most severe victim, a 63-year-old man from Abbeville, succumbed to those injuries a day later on March 1. Official identification of the victim is pending notification of loved ones.
Deputies learned the three men were doing welding work on an old boat when the incident occurred.
After an assessment of the scene, deputies determined the explosion and subsequent fire were caused by a combination of welding activity and fumes from the boat’s gas tank igniting.
The incident has been classified as accidental.