Middletown

10 Years Later: Remembering Victims of Kleen Energy Plant Explosion

It's been a decade since six people died from the explosion.

NBCUniversal, Inc.

Six workers were fatally injured in the explosion at the Kleen Energy plant in Middletown on Feb. 7, 2010.

It was around 11:15 a.m. on the morning before the Super Bowl when natural gas found an ignition source and exploded at the plant, which was under construction. The blast shook parts of the area.

The explosion happened during planned work to clean debris from natural gas pipes at the Kleen Energy in Middletown. The workers were using natural gas at a high pressure to purge the lines when the explosion happened.

Sunday, community members gathered at a memorial near the plant to remember the six people killed.

“Super Bowl Sunday. The Saints we’re getting ready to play the Colts. And right up there on that hill, we lost the best of the best that day," said Paul Venti, a retired Plumbers and Pipefitters Local 777 union member.

Venti was a night steward at the energy plant then. He wasn’t working at the time of the explosion, but his friends were, “It’s been 10-years. There’s barely a day goes by that what happened still doesn’t cross my mind.”

Dylan Thomas-Crabb was 6-years-old when his father was killed, “It’s my first year coming here and I feel like I should have come earlier because I’ve seen how much he’s made an impact on people.”

The impact of the lives lost was so evident as a large crowd gathered and paused in silence after the mention of each of the victim's names.

Thomas-Crabb says he sees today as a memorial to celebrate his dad and his colleagues rather than mourn, “I’m always going to believe that he’s here with me and I know he’s with me. He’s standing right beside me right now.”

CLICK HERE for more information about the victims and the new standards put in place after the deadly explosion.

Contact Us