Worker Dies From Injuries Sustained In Washington Co. Natural Gas Plant Fire, Explosion
Follow KDKA-TV: Facebook | Twitter
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) – One worker has died following a fire and explosion at a Washington County energy plant last week.
The incident happened at the MarkWest natural gas processing plant around 6 p.m. on Dec. 13.
Four employees were flown to Pittsburgh-area hospitals - two to UPMC Mercy and two to West Penn.
Jeffery Fisher, 61, died from his injuries on Tuesday afternoon.
MarkWest Energy released the following statement after Fisher's death:
"We are deeply saddened that one of the contract employees injured during the Dec. 13 incident at our Houston, Pennsylvania, facility has died of his injuries. We continue working with federal, state and local agencies to investigate the incident. Protecting the health and safety of workers and the communities where we're privileged to operate is our highest priority, and we work hard to ensure incidents like this never occur. We pray for the family of our colleague and mourn his passing."
A statement from MarkWest said there was "an incident near two temporary tanks that were on-site for routine maintenance, resulting in a fire."
The fire started in a tank, which holds 200 barrels of liquid Ethylene Glycol plus hydrocarbons.
Stay With KDKA.com For More Details
