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Man killed in explosion near Red Deer was from Grande Prairie

The man killed when a tank on a truck exploded just west of Red Deer last week was married with three young children and from Grande Prairie.
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Kelly Kozloski with his wife Cassandra/Photo from Facebook

The man killed when a tank on a truck exploded just west of Red Deer last week was married with three young children and from Grande Prairie.

Kelly Leslie Kozloski, 35, was killed when the tank blew up at J Moore Enterprises in the Belich Industrial subdivision in Red Deer County early in the afternoon of Nov. 3.

The incident is being investigated by the Labour Program, which is part of the federal department of Employment and Social Development.

A social gathering for Kozloski will be held in Grande Prairie on Friday evening. He is survived by his wife Cassandra and children Rayden, Zakery and Alyxa.

Kozloski was working for J Moore Enterprises when the incident happened. The explosion did not injure anyone else but many residents in Red Deer felt the explosion that occurred at about 1:40 p.m. just west side of QEII Hwy and south of Hwy 11.

A spokesperson for the Labour Program, Amélie Caron, said in an email that the incident involves an inter-provincial transport company, which is a federally regulated business.

“It is the Labour Program’s highest priority to investigate every fatality and determine the cause in an effort to prevent future tragedies like this one. The Labour Program began its investigation following this incident, and it is still ongoing.”

“We extend our deepest condolences to the victim’s family and friends, and to the co-workers who have been impacted by this tragic incident. We believe every employee has the right to a safe workplace, and to return home safely at the end of their work day.”

She said that investigations involved a Health and Safety Officer gathering facts relating to the incident, analyzing and assessing the information to determine the cause of the incident and possible contraventions of the Canada Labour Code.

She could not comment on the specifics of the incident and the investigation is ongoing. Investigations vary in length depending on the nature and complexity of the incident.