Lawyers for two of the workers injured in the deadly Feb. 7 explosion at the Kleen Energy powerplant in Middleton, Conn. are alleging that “multiple” ignition sources were in operation while natural gas was being purged from the nearly $1 billion construction site.
Electricians Timothy Hilliker and Harold Thoma of Ducci Electric, Torrington, filed a lawsuit at Superior Court in Hartford claiming the gas purge at the 87,000-sq-ft facility was conducted with minimal supervision and without following standard protocol to protect against accidental ignition. The suit names Kleen Energy Systems, the project’s owner, O&G Industries, Torrington, general contractor and minority shareholder and Keystone Construction & Maintenance Services, Middletown – the contractor that hired and worked directly with Ducci – as defendants. Welding and grinding operations were taking place at the time of the purge, according to the suit, and a lawyer for Hilliker and Thoma says electricity was running through the site and a gas-fueled torch heater was running.