Body of Second Worker Recovered After Ohio Power Plant Collapse

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The body of a second worker killed in a power plant collapse in southern Ohio has been recovered, his employer said on Jan. 9.

Relatives of 47-year-old Jamie Fitzgerald of Boyd County, Kentucky, had been notified of the removal of his body from the Killen Generating Station site in Adams County, a spokesman for Detroit-based demolition contractor Adamo Group said, adding that the notification was made “with tremendous sorrow.”

“This is a difficult time and we continue to express our deepest sympathy, thoughts and prayers to Jamie’s fiancee, children, family and friends,” spokesman Patrick Crowley said in an emailed statement. He said crews worked “as diligently and safely as possible to expedite an extremely complex recovery in a sensitive manner.”

The body of Doug Gray, 42, of Greenup County, Kentucky, was recovered from rubble last month. Three other workers were injured Dec. 9, while the rest escaped. The cause of the collapse remains under investigation.

The collapse came as the coal-fired generation plant, some 75 miles east of Cincinnati, was set to be demolished. It closed in May 2018.

Crowley also expressed thanks to first responders and others involved in the recovery effort as well as “the amazing and caring people of this community, who provided support, food, comfort, prayers, blankets, personal care items, shelter and more to Jamie’s loved ones throughout this ordeal.”