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Five Xcel Workers Die in Underground Accident
October 2, 2007 5:48 PM
photo courtesy Xcel Energy
GEORGETOWN, Colo. (AP) _ Several state agencies started their own investigations today into Tuesday's fire at a hydroelectric plant near Georgetown, including the Colorado Bureau of Investigation, the Division of Mine Safety, the state water engineer, the Division of Emergency Management and the Public Utilities Commission. Five people died after the fire at an Xcel Energy plant. It's unclear whether they were burned, suffocated, or were overcome by fumes from a burning chemical. Governor Ritter's spokesman, Evan Dreyer, says the agencies involved are either responsible for emergency response, investigation of incidents involving the industry, or regulation of the industry. Dreyer says such inquiries are routine. The men were employees of the private contractor RPI Coating in Santa Fe Springs, California. Their names have not been released. Dreyer says ``Governor Ritter is extremely saddened by the tragic turn of events. He expresses his deepest sympathies to the families of the five workers who were killed. ``He will ensure that the appropriate state agencies are fully involved so that we gain a quick and thorough understanding of what happened and we can prevent something like this from ever happening again.'' Nine workers survived the fire, and four who were working below the blaze were able to scramble out of the bottom of the 4,000-foot-long tunnel. The other five, working on the other side of the blaze, rushed uphill to get to an area further away from the flames. About eight hours after the fire erupted, authorities said last night that the men had been found dead by crews sent in to fight the fire. The men were more than 1,500 feet below ground when the blaze broke out.
Posted by Eric Whitney on October 2, 2007 5:48 PM | Permalink
Comments
To begain with ther were eleven of us in the penstock not nine,six of us managed to escape,we went back in several times with fire ext, the smoke got to heavy.Get your story straight or do not bother telling it at all.It is the neglagense of the fire dept that my collegs are not here today,I'm PISSED
Posted by: Dale | December 1, 2007 7:05 PM
This was more like a blatant screw up than an accident. Unsafe and stupid methods were what caused this fire. Incorrect confined space safety procedure by these contractors was why the fire resulted in tragedy.
It is wrong for these contractors to blame the deaths on Colorado Firefighters, rather than their own actions, as to why people died. It seems wrong that the lesson from this is not higlighted enough so it is prevented in the future. If ever plans call for or involve heated, flammable solvents, being shot out of a pressurised sprayer underground; other technology and products must be selected instead, so a safe and long lasting solution results.
We the people of Colorado are the ones who are paying for this debachel with higher energhy bills.
If your going to go public calling out "neglagense" try to spell it correctly:
negligence
Posted by: Eric Van Oakes | February 24, 2008 5:30 PM
