The man seriously injured when a gas cylinder exploded in Invercargill on Monday is in an induced coma.
A Southland hospital spokeswoman said Dave Evans was in a serious but stable condition in the intensive care unit at Southland Hospital yesterday.
Mr Evans was injured when a gas cylinder exploded outside Southern Brakes and Driveline in Clyde St about 3pm on Monday.
A WorkSafe New Zealand spokesman said an investigation on the explosion had started and the agency would not comment until it was complete.
Fire Service acting assistant area commander Neil Ladbrook said a fire safety officer and BOC gases representative were investigating the explosion. The ignition source
was unknown. ''We do think there was gas there and something has caused it to ignite - it could be electric static, it could be a mechanical spark - you just don't know.
''We are still waiting on what may have ignited it.
''We may never know.''
The store windows shattered in the explosion were replaced by 7.30pm on Monday and the businesses that had been damaged were operating as usual yesterday.
''It's been a big effort from everyone.''
The BOC gas guidelines for gas cylinder safety say acetylene gas is ''extremely hazardous'' and has a garlic smell.
The fire and explosion hazards for acetylene gas are greater than lpg and require minimal energy to ignite in air or oxygen, the guidelines say.
A witness to the explosion said Mr Evans had been driving a Downers utility and was either sitting in the utility, or near it, when the gas bottle exploded, blowing the back off the ute and staving in the side of a Southern Brakes ute parked beside it.
