City Quietly Marks Three Years Since Kleen Energy Explosion That Killed Six

A plaque affixed to a large stone memorializes the six lives lost three years ago, when a weekend gas-line test at the Kleen Energy plant caused a massive explosion that was felt for miles around.

The blast took place on Feb. 7, 2010, at 11:17 a.m. at the plant that had been under construction since February 2008 and due to open in June 2010.

Six men working inside that morning lost their lives: Ronald J. Crabb, 42, of Colchester; Peter Chepulis of Thomaston; Roy Rushton of Hamilton, Ontario; Chris Walters of Florissant, Mo.; Raymond Dobratz, 58, of Old Saybrook; and Kenneth Haskell, 37, of New Durham, N.H. Fifty others were injured in the Maromas section of Middletown.

The National Fire Protection Association developed its first provisional standard, NFPA 56 (PS), Fire and Explosion Prevention During Cleaning and Purging of Flammable Gas Piping Systems. The new provisions now prohibit the use of flammable gas during cleaning procedures while safeguarding a range of activities related to cleaning and repairing piping systems, according to the NFPA.

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