In February 2010 we were in the kitchen when suddenly the screen door slammed shut. That was odd - it was winter and the doors were closed so why would the screen door have shut - like a gust of wind had opened and shut it... We found out later that day that a couple of miles from our house the Kleen Energy power plant had an explosion which killed six workers.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2010_Connecticut_power_plant_explosion
The 2010 Connecticut power plant explosion occurred at the Kleen Energy Systems power station in Middletown, Connecticut, United States at 11:17 am EST on February 7, 2010. The plant had been under construction from February 2008,[2] and was scheduled to start supplying energy in June 2010.[3] The initial blast killed five and injured at least fifty; one of the injured later died in hospital, bringing the total death toll to six.
The blast at the 620-megawatt, Siemens combined cycle gas- and oil- fired power plant[5][6] occurred at 11:17 am,[7] and was reported at 11:25 am EST.[2] The plant's manager, Gordon Holk, said that contractors and other workers from O & G Industries, Ducci Electric, and Keystone Construction and Maintenance Services were at the site when the blast occurred.[8] The explosion occurred at the rear of the largest building, the turbine hall, which was destroyed.[9] Some residents reported "earthquake-like tremors"[2][10] from at least 10 miles (16 km) away,[9] although the blast proved not to be seismically detectable.[11] Another resident of the area felt that it was more like a sonic boom.
The plant was under construction and was not yet on-line. On that day they were cleaning out the lines by blowing them with natural gas. This is the story I remember hearing - the Wikipedia page doesn't really commit to that exact cause... I found this US Chemical Saftey report on the explosion which does note that the cause was blowing the line with natural gas which then found an ignition source.
http://www.csb.gov/kleen-energy-natural-gas-explosion/
Six workers were fatally injured during a planned work activity to clean debris from natural gas pipes at Kleen Energy in Middletown, CT. To remove the debris, workers used natural gas at a high pressure of approximately 650 pounds per square inch. The high velocity of the natural gas flow was intended to remove any debris in the new piping. During this process, the natural gas found an ignition source and exploded.
So, it appears memory serves me correctly. Either way, as the local channels were covering the blast, it was probably two days later when they released the names of those killed. One of them was Peter Chepulis of Thomaston, CT. It took a minute for me to realize that this was my first cousin. My father was not on speaking terms with his sister for much (most?) of his life so I never had met my cousins - but I recognized the name and knew this was one of those cousins that I had never met. He was only 48 years old - much too young - as were all of those that were killed that day.
THOMASTON -- Peter "Pete" C. Chepulis, 48, died Sunday in the explosion at the Kleen Energy Power Plant in Middletown. He was the husband of Dyann "De" (Beveridge) Chepulis. Pete was born May 3, 1961 in Waterbury son of Mildred (Skerstonas) Chepulis of Thomaston and the late George B. Chepulis.
Raised in the Brooklyn section of Waterbury he was a graduate of St. Joseph's Grammar School and Kaynor Technical High School. He was a member of the Pipefitters and Plumbers Union Local # 777, the Thomaston Fish and Game Club and the NRA. His passions were bird hunting with his Springer Spaniels Preacher and Rancey, riding his Harleys, competing in wood chopping competitions at the local fairs, good food, cooking and traveling.
In addition to his wife and mother he is survived by his step-daughter, Alicia G. Beveridge of Southington; one brother, James T. Chepulis and his wife Pam of Thomaston; one nephew, Stephen J. Chepulis and one great nephew Jason S. Chepulis.
The story became even more sad a couple of years later when, as noted in this article in the Hartford Courant, Peter's wife passed away in 2012.
http://articles.courant.com/2012-12-12/news/hc-kleenenergy-settlement1212-20121212_1_kenneth-haskell-kleen-energy-peter-chepulis. Article as follows:
"Dyann Chepulis never saw the $1.7 million the owners of the Kleen Energy plant paid to settle her lawsuit stemming from the 2010 Middletown natural-gas power plant explosion that killed her husband. Four days after a probate court judge in Litchfield approved Peter Chepulis' final estate on June 1, 2012, she died at age 58.
"It is an incredibly sad story,'' said Hartford Attorney J. Michael Margolis, who handled the Chepulis estate. Dyann Chepulis was one of five widows who earlier this year settled lawsuits against Kleen Energy and its general contractor, O&G Industries of Torrington.
In addition to Peter Chepulis, 48, the others killed on the morning of Feb. 7, 2010 were Ronald Crabb, 42, of Colchester; Chris Walters, 48, of Florissant, Mo.; Kenneth Haskell, 37, of New Durham, N.H.; Raymond Dobratz, 58, of Old Saybrook and Roy Rushton, 36, of Hamilton, Ontario.
All but Dobratz settled their lawsuits last February after several mediation sessions with Superior Court Judge Robert L. Holzberg. Attorneys involved in the settlements would not comment on specific amounts but have said that the totals varied depending on the age of the person who was killed, their job classification and family situation. For example, Crabb's probate records show that his wife, Jodi Thomas, a probate judge at the time of the explosion, received a $2.55 million settlement, of which about $1.2 million went to Crabb's two children. Probate records for the other three men from out of state weren't available. Individuals connected to the case indicated to the Courant that the other settlements were in the range of the Crabb and Chepulis figures.
Neither Chepulis nor Crabb had wills when they died, record show. Under Connecticut law, the spouse is entitled to the first $100,000 from their estate as well as 75 percent of the rest of it, while the other 25 percent goes to the decedent's parents. Chepulis's mother, Mildred, died while the case was still in probate in 2010, records show. Her share of the estate, about $410,000, went to James Chepulis, Peter's lone surviving brother. There were at least 29 lawsuits, involving more than 60 people, against Kleen Energy and O&G. Almost all of them have been settled now except for clients of the StrattonFaxon law firm, which has about 20 cases still pending, including the Dobratz case.
Joel Faxon said the case is proceeding to the discovery stage on the state's complex litigation docket.
"We are very disappointed that O&G and Kleen Energy and other companies involved in this explosion are refusing to take responsibility for their actions that ruined the lives of numerous families,'' Faxon said."
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