Five dead, 12 injured in Middletown, Conn. power plant explosion

By John M. Guilfoil and Michael Levenson, Globe Staff

MIDDLETOWN, Conn. -- A blast at a gas-fired power plant that was under construction on the banks of the Connecticut River has left five dead and at least a dozen injured, according to the mayor's office.

The explosion happened at the Kleen Energy power plant on River Road, rocking the area for miles around. Firefighters, police officers, and rescue crews have been swarming the scene, where a fire was burning but has now been put out.

"We had a massive explosion, multiple injuries, possible fatalities...," Officer George Yepes of the Middletown Police Department said in a brief telephone interview early today.

The cause of the explosion was not clear, said Al Santostefano, deputy fire marshal for Middletown, but was not suspicious. "This is a construction accident," he said.

Santostefano said there were 50 workers in the plant in the time of the explosion, about 11 a.m.

“I live about five miles away in Middletown, and at 11 a.m. I felt a shake, and I said to myself, ‘something happened somewhere’ and then my pager went off and here I am,” Santostefano said.

Fire crews from many area communities, some as far as 50 miles away, responded. About 100 firefighters are sifting through the rubble, searching for anyone who may be trapped.

The plant is at least a mile from the nearest house, according to Santostefano. It was scheduled to come online this fall, and has been under construction for the past two years.

Gerald E. Daley, a member of the Middletown Common Council, also said the gas-fired plant was under construction and that today was the first day that its power-generating systems were being tested. Workers were on scene when the blast occurred, he said.

"I heard the explosion," he said. "It shook our house."

Middletown Mayor Sebastian N. Giuliano and Connecticut Governor M. Jodi Rell were on the scene this afternoon.

"The mayor has been assured that this is an industrial accident," said a statement released by Giuliano's office today. "No terrorism is suspected."

Jamie Halliwell, who lives a few miles from the plant, said she heard the blast. "It felt like an earthquake," she said.

News footage showed a large column of smoke rising above the plant.