DENVER—Two companies and two executives have been indicted on federal charges in the deaths of five workers in a fire inside a tunnel at a Colorado hydroelectric plant.
The tunnel had been evacuated multiple times and a flammable liquid had vaporized, causing workers to complain about irritation shortly before the vapor ignited and caused the deadly October 2007 blast, according to an indictment made public Friday.
Xcel Energy, RPI Coatings and two RPI executives face criminal charges in the deaths in a federal indictment that alleges they knew about the dangers and did nothing about it. The 17-page indictment accuses RPI of trying to cover up the shortfalls by altering, destroying, or concealing the cameras, journals and cell phones of two of the dead workers.
Four people survived the fire at Xcel’s Cabin Creek hydroelectric plant in Georgetown, Colo., about 35 miles west of Denver. All five of the workers killed worked for RPI.
In a statement, Xcel said it was a tragic accident.
“We reject any attempt to characterize the Cabin Creek events in any other way,” Xcel said.
Calls to RPI were referred to Denver attorney Larry Pozner, who said he could not immediately comment because he had not fully reviewed the indictment.
Events occurring inside the tunnel, called a penstock, included “multiple instances of evacuation of the penstock due to high levels of carbon monoxide, and damage to electrical equipment,” the indictment said.
That made the companies and RPI executives “aware that the relining project posed recognized serious health and safety hazards to their employees working inside the penstock,” the indictment said.
The fire began on Oct. 2 2007 while employees were in the tunnel were cleaning a sprayer with a flammable solvent. Vapor from the solvent ignited and five employees working deep inside the tunnel died from asphyxiation.
The workers survived the initial fire and were in radio contact with rescuers before they were overcome by smoke and fumes as crews tried lowering air tanks to them.
The indictment said the day of the fire, employees bringing the solvent into the tunnel noticed it had vaporized into the air, “causing employees to suffer irritation and complain to their managers.”
