MANCHESTER, Ohio — UPDATE @ 6:55 a.m. (Dec. 15):
It could take up to two weeks for rescue and demolition crews to clear debris and locate the body of a worker missing for nearly a week after a power plant collapsed in Adams County.
A spokesperson for the Adamo Demolition Group, the company contracted to demolish the Killen Generating Station in Manchester, Ohio, said the search continues for their employee Jamie Fitzgerald, according to our news partners at WCPO-TV. He was working inside with four others at former plant when it collapsed Dec. 9.
Three workers were rescued and hospitalized in stable condition the day of the collapse. The body of the fourth worker, Clyde Douglas Gray, was recovered Saturday.
The Adamo spokesperson said they must develop an engineering plan to clear the debris near the area they suspect Fitzgerald’s body is located, the station reported.
“Based upon the amount of debris required to be removed, the process could take up to two weeks,” Adamo Group President Richard Adamo said in a statement.
Engineering firm Thornton & Tomasetti will develop the plan, which will be reviewed by both the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration and law enforcement, according to WCPO-TV.
UPDATE @ 6:25 a.m. (Dec. 14):
Search crews recovered the body of one of the two workers missing after a power plant slated for demolition collapsed last week in Adams County.
The body of Clyde Douglas Gray was recovered by search crews Saturday at the former Killen Generating Station near Manchester, Ohio, our news partners at WCPO-TV in Cincinnati report.
Crews are continuing to search for Jamie Fitzgerald, the fifth victim, whose body remains in the rubble.
Three of the victims were rescued and hospitalized after the plant collapsed Dec. 9. Previous reports from the Adams County Sheriff’s Office described the victim’s conditions as stable.
We’ll continue to update this story as new details become available.
UPDATE @ 11:39 p.m. (Dec. 12):
Our partner station, WCPO, is reporting that one of the remaining missing workers has been found.
They report that the worker has not been identified yet.
Adams County Sheriff Kimmy Rogers said the person was not recovered alive.
UPDATE @ 6:25 a.m. (Dec. 11):
The search for two workers still trapped in the rubble of a collapsed power plant in Adams County has entered a third day, as crews continued their search all day Thursday and through the night.
Rescue crews classified their operation as a recovery mission at the former Killen Generating Station near Manchester, Ohio, which is about 70 miles southeast of Cincinnati. The workers were contractors working on a demolition of the plant that once operated as part of the Dayton Power & Light power grid.
The structure collapse trapped and injured five workers initially Wednesday. Two of those workers were located, rescued, and hospitalized first.
A third worker was later rescued from the rubble and flown to a hospital. Previously officials said the first two workers were in stable condition and the third worker gave a thumbs up to crews before being loaded into a medical helicopter.
The plant was set for complete demolition this coming Monday, Dec. 14, according to our news partners at WCPO-TV in Cincinnati.
A Department of Labor spokesperson told the station the Occupational Safety and Health Administration had investigators on the scene and were conducting an investigation.
“OSHA compliance officers arrived at the site of the incident on Wednesday, December 9, 2020. OSHA has opened an investigation and are conducting interviews with the employees and employers to determine if all OSHA regulations and standards were being followed. No further information will be available until OSHA has completed their investigation. By law, OSHA has 6 months to complete their investigation.”
We’ll continue to update this story as new details become available.
UPDATE @ 8:25 a.m. (Dec. 10):
Rescue crews have transitioned into a recovery mission for two missing workers still trapped in the rubble of a partially collapsed power plant that was being demolished Wednesday in Adams County, Ohio.
Crews continued searching through the overnight hours at the Killen Generating Station near Manchester, Ohio for those two workers, our news partners at WCPO-TV in Cincinnati reported.
The workers were part of a demolition crew working to take down the plant which once operated as part of Dayton Power & Light’s power grid, the station reported.
“This (search and rescue) will be nonstop until they find the missing, whether it’s one day, two days, a week. They will be here until they find these people,” Adams County Sheriff Kimmy Rodgers said.
The building that collapsed was slated to be taken down next Monday, Dec. 14, according to WCPO-TV.
County records indicate the building’s owner, St. Louis-based Kingfisher Development, LLC hired Detroit-based Adamo Demolition Co. to perform the demolition the station reported.
Previously, Rogers said the first two workers rescued were in stable condition. The third gave a thumbs up before boarding a medical helicopter.
We’ll continue to update this story as new details become available.
FIRST REPORT (Dec. 9):
Three people were rescued Wednesday afternoon from a collapsed power plant in Adams County, and two more are believed to still be missing, according to Sheriff Kimmy Rogers.
According to our news partner WCPO, around 9 a.m. Wednesday authorities responded to Killen Generating Station after reports that part of the building had collapsed with people still inside.
The individuals inside were part of a demolition crew working to take down the retired power station that used to be a part of Dayton Power and Light’s power grid.
The first two people rescued were transported to a hospital in Maysville, Kentucky, and the third person was airlifted to the University of Cincinnati Medical Center.
Two people still remain missing.
“There’s two families out there that have two loved ones in that building somewhere, and you have to feel for those people,” Rogers said. “I could not imagine what’s going through their minds, knowing that they have a family member and a loved one in there, and they don’t know if they’re alive or dead.”
Rogers said the building that collapsed was slated to be taken down next Monday, Dec. 14.
Cox Media Group
