Kleen Energy Middletown CT

Kleen Energy Middletown CT. Two workers are confirmed dead in the blast at Kleen Energy in Middletown, CT. Earlier reports of numerous casualties have yet to be confirmed. Conflicting reports say as many as 100 workers were inside the power plant during the explosion that occurred at 11:25am Sunday morning, Feb. 7. Residents say they felt the powerful earthquake-like tremor from miles away. Windows rattled to the point of breaking in some homes, and photos fell off walls.

WTNH.com Channel 8 reports, “There was fire, a large plume of smoke, and there are fatalities. The Governor is on the scene, and she has activated the Emergency Operation Center in Hartford, CT. A number of police, fire and rescue vehicles are at the power plant now.”
Later reports by CNN say the fire is completely out.

Residents Felt the Blast From Miles Away
Local residents were shaken up, some more than others. One witness exclaimed, “All of a sudden there was a big explosion, and the flames were higher than the stack itself. I never want to see anything like that in my life.” Another witness says, “It felt like an earthquake but it was more of an explosion because we were able to see it visually see the fire and the flames coming out between the two towers.” “The flames were shooting up and it just rocked the whole place. Windows were blown out.” “When the explosion came, we had pictures on the wall that were knocked on the ground and knick-knacks and stuff fell on the floor. I thought my house exploded.”

Governor M. Jodi Rell activated the state’s Urban Search and Rescue Team and the Emergency Operations Center in Hartford. The Governor’s office also mentioned that the Public Health Department was providing tents for triage and shelter.

Al Santostefano, the Middletown deputy fire marshal, said the explosion, at about 11:25am, occurred as workers at the nearly completed Kleen Energy Systems generating plant were trying to suck natural gas out of the plant’s pipes, a procedure known as a “blow down.”

The New York Times reports, “The 620-megawatt plant on the Connecticut River was to have been both gas and oil-fired. According to a report about the project’s financing, construction began in February 2008 and was scheduled to be completed this November.”

Here are the details WTNH.com News Channel 8 has learned from authorities:

* 50 workers believed in the building today
* This was a working construction site
* Workers were doing a ‘blow down’ to clear gas from the lines when the explosion occurred
* No word on where the workers are from
* Fire is completely out
* State Police Major Crimes Squad on the scene, with many other state, local agencies
* Ambulances leaving area without lights or sirens on
* Local residents told to stay away
* Windows at Conn Valley Hospital in Middletown broken out by the explosion

Stay tuned for more information as it is released from officials.

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