MANCHESTER, Ohio — Recovery efforts continue for a man who went missing when part of the former Dayton, Power and Light Killen Generating Station collapsed.
Jamie Fitzgerald was one of five men who were inside a building at the site when it collapsed on Dec. 9. Three men were found that day and taken to Meadowview Regional Medical Center and the University of Cincinnati.
A body of Douglas Gray was found on Dec. 12.
Adamo Group President Richard Adamo said Thornton and Tomasetti, an engineering firm, to assist with the recovery.
“Thornton Tomasetti is a nationally recognized engineering firm with extensive, directly-related experience from its work on similar types of incidents throughout the country,” Adamo said. “The firm, along with input and direction from OSHA, will execute an engineering plan that allows the recovery process to continue without endangering workers, law enforcement representatives and first responders. Our thoughts and prayers continue to be with the loved ones of the workers who lost their lives is this tragic accident.”
The cause of the collapse is still unknown.
According to Adams County Sheriff Kimmy Rogers, at 8:30 a.m., on Dec. 9, dispatch in Adams County received a call to respond to a collapse at the site. At the time, five people were trapped inside one of the buildings that had blown over.
Though the scene looked like the entire plant had collapsed, Rogers said most of the debris was already there before one building collapsed.
“Most of the debris you see on the ground, that was already taken down by the demolition crew,” he said. “The tallest building was pretty much intact this morning. That was where the people were working and it’s the one that collapsed. Next week, they were preparing to take down those stacks. This was work in preparation of that.”
The construction of the Killen Station, which is located along US 52 in Adams County, began in 1974, with the plant opening for operation in 1982. It was closed in May 2018.. was purchased by Commercial Liability Partners, LLC. and an announcement was made in December 2019 that the station, along with the J.M. Stuart station, would be demolished.
At the time, the company announced it was focusing on the development of remediation plans with a goal of re-purposing the site for future redevelopment.
This is the latest information as of press time on Monday. More information will be provided as it becomes available.
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