Explosion in Bahía Príncipe hotel

[NAH]

...are beer cannisters CO₂ bottles?

In the UK CO² is used as a propellant which pressurises the beer barrel thus forcing the liquid (beer) from the barrel to the tap. The CO² also fills what would otherwise become a vacuum in the beer barrel.

Co² may well be explosive but it doesn't 'burn' which is why it is used in some fire extinguishers. Any 'burns' suffered from this explosion must therefore surely be cold burns and not as we immediately think of as burns, i.e. caused by heat.

[Perikles]

Co² may well be explosive

I was trying to be sarcastic    - any gas under pressure could explode, but CO₂ is about as unexplosive as a gas could be.

[Janet]

The explosion has now been confirmed as originating in a chafing dish - a warming appliance: carbon dioxide is involved in some way in the combustion process. The investigation into the actual cause of the explosion remains open, but the hotel says that it occured when a waitress at the snack bar added some gel to a plate-warming burner, a normal procedure. The hotel added that the appliance was checked and certified as required, but that the technical report from the judicial police is still awaited, and this should clarify matters. The hotel also confirmed that, thankfully, all those injured are recovering well, and said that it would continue to help those affected in any way possible. 

[Nova]

Not a beer cannister then?