Explosion at Kleen Energy Plant, Middletown, Conn.- The ground shook for miles

The ground shook for miles when a massive explosion occurred at the Kleen Energy Plant in Middletown, Conn. The plant was currently under construction when the natural gas line exploded Sunday morning. News outlets are reporting that at least five workers were killed and 12 injured. As of Sunday evening, crews and dogs were still searching for survivors. Emergency crews were expected to work through the night up into Monday.

The mayor of Middletown said at the news conference it was difficult to tell how many people were at the plant because multiple contractors were working on it with their own employee lists (Yahoo News). Giuliano said the plant workers had been very proud of their spotless safety record. "Before today, not so much as a hangnail occurred on this," he said.

The 620-megawatt plant, that begin construction in February of 2008, was being built to produce energy primarily using natural gas. Deputy Fire Marshal Al Santostefano said workers for the construction company, O&G Industries, were purging the gas lines, a procedure he called a "blow-down," when the explosion occurred.

"I saw the guys below me just got flattened. There was a group of them. I don't know how many," Nick, a worker from Norwich, Conn., told the New York Daily News. "I went over to people who were injured. It was horrible. I saw a man without a head. Some of them are real bad."

The New York Daily News reported that "the huge blast shattered the windows of area homes and cars, shook pictures off the walls of living rooms 20 miles away and flung workers 30 or 40 feet into the air." Homes nearby reported the explosion being the equivalent of a small earthquake. Witnesses saw a giant fireball shoot into the sky. As many as 1,000 workers are working during the week, fortunately Sunday shifts are composed of less workers. The Super Bowl kept many more workers at home.

Secretary Hilda Solis stated that OSHA is on their way to investigate the explosion.



Sources:
Bernhard, Kent. "Daily Brief: Plant Blast Kills At Least Five." Portfolio.com. 08 Feb. 2010. Web
Eaton-Robb, Pat, and John Christofferson. "Gas blast at Conn. power plant kills at least 5." Yahoo News. Associated Press, 7 Feb. 2010. Web.
Lysiak, Matthew L., Kevin Deutsch, and Helen Kennedy. "'Guys below me just got flattened' says worker of Kleen Energy Plant explosion in Connecticut." NY Daily News. 7 Feb. 2010. Web.