Investigation into fatal boiler explosion in St. Louis could take months

ST. LOUIS -- A federal investigation into a St. Louis boiler explosion that killed three people and injured four others, two of them critically, could take months to complete, a spokesman for the investigative agency said Tuesday.

Scott Allen with the U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration called circumstances involving Monday's blast "complicated," adding that by law OSHA has six months to complete an investigation.

Allen said there were no preliminary findings as of Tuesday to indicate what caused the explosion about 7:30 a.m. Monday at Loy-Lange Box Co., where authorities said a van-sized boiler blew up and was launched hundreds of feet into a nearby laundry business.