A flooring installer died from his injuries six weeks after a job site fire left him with third-degree burns on 80% of his body, Berkeleyside reported.
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A flooring installer died from his injuries six weeks after a job site fire left him with third-degree burns on 80% of his body, Berkeleyside reported.
Ben Casillas Jr., 38, of Oakland, Calif.-based Anderson Commercial Flooring died Feb. 27 from injuries sustained by the fire. He was working on floors at a Bayer Pharmaceuticals lab in West Berkeley on Jan. 17 when the fire broke out. The cause of the fire remains under investigation. The type of flooring being worked on at the time is not specified in the reports, although one of the contractors was reportedly using a “grinding tool” just before the fire, according to the Berkeley Scanner.
Casillas’ coworker, Saul Sanchez, suffered severe burns on 20% of his body while attempting to rescue Casillas from the fire. First responders found both men on the second floor of the lab, and fire crews were able to extinguish the fire, which was contained to one room.
Casillas underwent multiple surgeries before succumbing to his injuries. Sanchez is in recovery.
In a LinkedIn post last month, Anderson Commercial Flooring President Joe Christophe described Casillas and Sanchez as “masters at their craft” and shared GoFundMe pages to assist their families.
Sanchez’s GoFundMe has raised $41,000 as of March 8, and Casillas’ GoFundMe has reached $98,000. Casillas was the sole provider for his wife and two young children. One month prior to the fire, Casillas had been promoted to foreman at Anderson Commercial Flooring, which handles hardwood flooring, carpet and laminate installations, as well as concrete polishing, restoration and moisture mitigation, according to its website.
“He’s part of the family,” Christophe told the Berkeley Scanner. “Everyone’s heart is breaking right now.”