GORST – An explosion knocked a man unconscious as he was cleaning up his welding work area at Viking Fence around 4:45 p.m. on Jan. 11.

Coworkers and firefighters with South Kitsap Fire and Rescue tended to the man, who was later transported to St. Joseph’s Hospital in Tacoma.

According to SKFR, employees at the company stated the man had been welding earlier but was in the process of cleaning up the work area. The welder was a metal inert gas type system, with no explosive chemicals being used. The employees said that they heard a loud explosion and felt a type of shock wave and then found the man on the ground.

There was a small rag about the size of a dishrag that was on fire approximately 20 feet from the man. Employees used a dry chemical extinguisher that was on site to extinguish the fire.

Anticipating a possible structure fire at first, SKFR sent three fire engines, a ladder truck and several personnel. The first arriving unit confirmed there was no structure fire.

Viking Fence is located at 3015 State Route 3, just south of Bremerton.

The state Department of Labor and Industries will investigate the cause of the explosion.