Officials identify 2 men killed in Idaho gas station explosion

BOISE, Idaho (AP) — Authorities have identified two people killed when a gas station exploded and started a fire in a remote Idaho town last week.

The Clearwater County Sheriff's Office said Brandon Cook, 53, of Orofino and Wesley Lineberry, 62, of Pierce were both killed in the explosion at the Atkinson Distributing station in Cardiff on Sept. 11.

Two others were badly burned in the explosion and subsequent fire, and they remained hospitalized on Wednesday. Separate GoFundMe pages identified the injured as fuel tanker driver Donny Billeter and gas station attendant Roxann Hubbs.

A fuel tanker semi truck was in the process of filling the above-ground tanks at the station when the explosion happened just after 3 p.m., said Idaho State Fire Marshal Knute Sandahl. The blast destroyed the tanker and sent debris including truck parts, piping, pieces of the tank and chunks from the gas station building flying across an area about the size of a city block, Sandahl said.

Both the tanker truck driver and the gas station attendant were near the truck when the explosion occurred. The bodies of Lineberry and Cook were found just outside the gas station, but investigators have not yet confirmed if they were inside or outside the building when the disaster began, Sandahl said.

It's not yet clear what caused the explosion, Sandahl said, and the National Transportation Safety Board and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration are assisting in the investigation.

“We're digging deep and it's just going to take some time,” said Sandahl. “I'm hoping we'll have something a little bit more definitive to release in October sometime.”

Some nearby buildings were also damaged by the explosion and fire, and the remaining fuel at the site has been an obstacle for investigators. A regional hazardous materials response team was called in to help mitigate the danger.

Gas station explosions are rare, Sandahl said.

“In my 19 years of being a state fire marshal here in Idaho, this is the first incident I'm aware of,” he said.

Offloading — the process of moving fuel from a tanker truck to a station's storage tanks — increases the risk somewhat but is still typically a very safe process because the drivers follow specific procedures, he said.

“Quite honestly, I think the most dangerous thing is fueling up your vehicle while smoking or filling plastic gas cans in the back of your pickup truck,” which increases the risk of sparks from static electricity, Sandahl said. “As we know from high school chemistry, it's actually the fumes that are volatile, and if there is a spark introduced, it can cause a problem."

This photo provided by U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives was taken in the aftermath of the Sept. 11, 2024, explosion and fire at a gas station in the small mountain community of Cardiff, Idaho. (U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives via AP)

This photo provided by U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives was taken in the aftermath of the Sept. 11, 2024, explosion and fire at a gas station in the small mountain community of Cardiff, Idaho. (U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives via AP)

This photo provided by the Idaho State Fire Marshal’s Office taken on Sept. 13, 2024, shows the aftermath of the Sept. 11, explosion and fire at a gas station in the small mountain community of Cardiff, Idaho. (Idaho State Fire Marshal’s Office via AP)

This photo provided by the Idaho State Fire Marshal’s Office taken on Sept. 13, 2024, shows the aftermath of the Sept. 11, explosion and fire at a gas station in the small mountain community of Cardiff, Idaho. (Idaho State Fire Marshal’s Office via AP)

This photo provided by the Idaho Transportation Department shows the fire that occurred after a gas station exploded as a fuel tanker was filling the above-ground tanks on Sept. 11, 2024, in Cardiff, Idaho. (Idaho Transportation Department via AP)

BRUSSELS (AP) — European Union chief Ursula von der Leyen is traveling to war-ravaged Ukraine on Friday with the promise of 160 million euros ($180 million) in fresh energy funds to get the nation through the winter.

Von der Leyen told reporters that 100 million euros ($112 million) of the funds would come the proceeds of the Russian assets held in the EU because of the 2022 invasion of Ukraine. “It is only right that Russia pays for the destruction it caused,” she said.

The European Union estimates that about half of Ukraine's energy infrastructure has been destroyed, making the job of heating homes, hospitals and schools increasingly difficult as temperatures dip ahead of the third war winter that the nation will face.

Von der Leyen said Russia knew full well that bombing energy stations was hitting Ukraine where it really hurts. Morale to keep on fighting can be significantly sapped if millions shiver in the brutal winter for months on end.

“We may see huge implications,” said Fatih Birol, the head of the International Energy Agency. “People will look to move around, to go to the places where they can have shelter and heating."

That makes international help all the more necessary, said von der Leyen.

“As Ukraine’s friends and partners, we must do all we can to keep the lights on. And as winter is approaching, well, we must keep the brave people of Ukraine warm, while we also are keeping the economy running,” she said.

Many of the upcoming efforts will go into repairing the damage done. Lithuania, for example, is dismantling a thermal power plant to ship it piece by piece to Ukraine for rebuilding there. With continued electricity exports from EU countries, von der Leyen said it would cover about a quarter of the nation's energy need in the coming months.

The EU is trying to decentralize energy production through the use of solar panels and other new technologies in Ukraine to make it more difficult for Russian attacks to have a direct impact on the energy grid. It would also help Ukraine become a greener economy, she said.

Overall, the EU estimates that it has provided Ukraine with at least 2 billion euros ($2.24 billion) in energy support since the February 2022 invasion. Von der Leyen said she will meet with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Kyiv to discuss energy issues on Friday.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen presents her new team for her next five-year tenure at the head of the bloc, during a press conference at the European Parliament, Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2024, in Strasbourg. (AP Photo/Jean-Francois Badias)

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen presents her new team for her next five-year tenure at the head of the bloc, during a press conference at the European Parliament, Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2024, in Strasbourg. (AP Photo/Jean-Francois Badias)