The dead teen, an employee of Waconia Farm Supply, was approaching a propane-container-filling area in front of the business' main building when the explosion occurred about 5 p.m., according to Carver County Sheriff Bud Olson.

Friends identified the victim as Ryan Samuelson, 17, a senior at Waconia High School. Funeral arrangements for Samuelson are pending at the Johnson Funeral Home in Waconia.

Wednesday's blast was followed by a fire in the main building, a sprawling compound that includes several buildings, fuel tanks and a nursery area.

The fire was quickly put out, but the front of the main building facing the propane tank, which includes an Ace Hardware storefront, suffered fire, smoke and water damage.

Another teenage boy was taken to nearby Ridgeview Medical Center and treated for hand injuries, according to a nursing supervisor.

Waconia Farm Supply, a longtime community fixture that sits at a main intersection in the city of 10,000, sells farm equipment, fuel, lawn and garden supplies and feed.

"This is a very close family business with long-term employees," said Olson as employees comforted each other nearby. "This is a pretty traumatic event."

Inspector found 2 violations

A routine safety inspection of the business on Feb. 17 found two violations related to the handling and storage of compressed gases, according to reports on the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration website. One violation was classified as serious, which OSHA describes as one that could result in death or serious harm.

Fines for such violations generally start at $1,500 but can be reduced or increased based on the probability that the violation could have resulted in a serious accident, and on the business' history of cooperation, according to James Honerman, spokesman for Minnesota OSHA.

Waconia Farm Supply was initially fined $600 for the serious violation and $150 for the secondary offense. The case was closed on April 7 after the firm paid a total of $525, which Honerman said indicated it had "addressed the violation in a timely fashion."

It was not clear if Wednesday's incident had any relation to the violations cited earlier this year.

Manager calls fine 'minimal'

Late Wednesday, Mike Loscheider, the business' general manager, which operates as a cooperative, called the fine earlier this year "minimal," saying that in general the company "fared very well" in the inspection and had a long history of safety and compliance.

Olson said the state fire marshal will oversee the investigation with assistance of the sheriff's office and OSHA. Investigators will be on the scene through today, he said.

Friends described Samuelson as a country boy who loved his Chevy truck and mudding -- going off-road -- in it, as well as hunting, fishing and his auto mechanics class.

"I was on my way into town when I saw the smoke," said Ben Hable, a friend of Samuelson's. "I hoped to God it wasn't [Ryan]." But word quickly spread among his friends that it was, indeed, Ryan. "We all tried his cell phone, but there was no answer. Ryan always would answer."

Samuelson was looking forward to a summer of working at his job and hanging out with friends, said Ronnie Cobb, another friend. "He was the best friend I ever had," he said. "He stood out from the rest because he was always there for you. When my dad died a year ago, he was there for me. When I had personal problems, he was always there to answer his phone."

LuAnn Wenning, who lives across Hwy. 284 from the store, had just finished mowing her lawn when she heard the loud boom; a large piece of metal debris landed in her yard in an area where her mother had just been sitting in a lawn chair. "At first I thought it was gunfire," she said. "I could see stuff flying around."

Source: Minneapolis Star Tribune