2001 — Oct 3, Explosions and fire, Pyro Design and Development near Rochester, IN — 5

–5  Pharos-Tribune, Logansport, IN. “Cause of deadly explosion undetermined.” 11-15-2001, 3.

–5  U.S. CSB. Investigation Report: Combustible Dust Hazard Study. Appendix A[1], p. 85.

 

Narrative Information

 

Oct 4: “Rochester — Four people are dead and another is critically injured following a Wednesday morning [Oct 3] explosion that destroyed a small company 3 miles north of here on Old U.S. 31….a former service station that had been converted into a chimney fire extinguisher factory, Pyro Design and Development. The walls of the southern portion of the one-story concrete block building were destroyed….The explosion was reported at 10:23 a.m…..

 

“Cloud [nearby neighbor] said after he left his home and reached the crest of the bank near Old U.S. 31, he heard a second explosion that was not as loud as the first, but the flames were ‘tremendous.’….  Firefighters were at the scene for 1½ hours before bringing the fire under control….” (Pharos-Tribune, Logansport, IN. “4 killed in explosion.” 10-4-2001, p. 1.

 

Oct 5: “Rochester — The names of four employees in their 20s who died in their workplace north of Rochester Wednesday have been released. Indiana State Police in Peru said Thursday that the victims are identified as Jason D. Estep, 26, William D. S. Wise, 24, and Lisa M. Tillman, 23, all of Rochester, and Christa L. Smith, 26, Claypool. Dental records from autopsies conducted in South Bend were used to identify them…A fifth employee, Lanny R. Tillman Jr., was listed in critical condition at the St. Joseph Hospital Burn Center in Fort Wayne Thursday after undergoing surgery. Tillman, whose age was not available, suffered burns over approximately 50 percent of his body….” (Pharos-Tribune, Logansport, IN. “Factory explosion victims identified.” 10-5-2001, p. 1.)

 

Oct 7: “Rochester — Indiana State Police are awaiting word from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms on a report made in the wake of an explosion and fire that killed four people Wednesday. But Det. Tony Frawley of the Peru Post says there is no definite lead on a cause. From what information can be gathered from initial interviews, everything that should have been done to store chemicals at Pyro Design and Development was done properly on site. ‘We many never know the cause of this,’ he said. ‘Sometimes, that happens.’

 

“Police had focused on finding out more about the business from Lori Tillman, an employee who took a day off work to go on a field trip with a child. So far, no new leads have emerged. Frawley said Lanny Tillman, 19, the only employee in the south end of the one-story building to escape alive, may provide some information that will help police. Tillman, who suffered burns over approximately 50 percent of his body, remains in critical condition at the St. Joseph Hospital Burn Center in Fort Wayne….Frawley said the explosion has been devastating to Lori Tillman because Lanny is her brother, and one of the victims, Jason D. Estep, 26, is the father of her children. Her sister, Lisa Tillman, 23, also was killed….” (Pharos-Tribune, Logansport, IN. “Burn victim could hold vital clues. Explosion cause may never be known.” 10-7-2001, p. 1.)

 

Oct 11: “Rochester (AP) — The mother of two victims of a deadly factory explosion says employees were not warned about the hazards of their jobs and once shared a single pair of safety goggles. The president of Pyro Design and Development denied the accusation.

 

“Nancy Tillman buried her 23-year-old daughter, Lisa, this week. Her son, Lanny Tillman Jr. 19, remains in a coma, recovering from severe burns….Tillman told The Rochester Sentinel that company President Lynette Castellano did not properly inform employees about the danger associated with their jobs. ‘I want everyone to know these kids did not know. I did not know,’ said Tillman, a former employee at the factory. ‘It was a lot of negligence and a lot of not telling.’

 

“Employees were not provided with or required to wear fire-retardant overalls. Everyone shared a single pair of safety goggles until two of the employees bought their own goggles, Tillman said. Castellano denied the accusations through her attorney, John H. Brooke. Employees were aware of safety precautions and had access to goggles, aprons and coveralls in the production area, Brooke said. ‘Getting the employees to use those safety items and to use the safety equipment was always a challenge,’ he said….

 

“Pyro Design and Development made devices about the size of a road flare that could be used to put out chimney fires. The product, sold under the brand name Chimfex, works by filling the chimney with a mixture of gases, smothering the flames.” (Pharos-Tribune, Logansport, IN. “Mother of explosion victims says safety procedures ignored.” 10-11-2011, p. 3.)

 

Nov 15: “Rochester (AP) — The cause of an October blast that killed five employees at a fire extinguisher plant may never be known, the Indiana Fire Marshal’s office said. The explosion and resulting fire at Pyro Design and Development caused too much damage for investigators to even determine where the fire state, the fire marshal spokesman Alden Taylor said Wednesday [Nov 14]….

 

[Notes names and ages of four immediate fatalities.] “…Lanny R. Tillman, Jr., 19, of Rochester, escaped badly burned, but died later at a Fort Wayne hospital.” (Pharos-Tribune, Logansport, IN. “Cause of deadly explosion undetermined.” 11-15-2001, p. 3.)

 

June 6, 2002: “Rochester (AP) — The state has fined the owners of a fire extinguisher factory… $48,000 for alleged safety violations. In a report released Wednesday [June 5] the Indiana Occupational Safety and Health Administration alleged that Pyro Design & Development Co. failed to give workers adequate training and improperly stored flammable materials. The report also alleged that the building did not have enough exits to allow employees to make a quick escape in case of emergency and that unsafe wiring methods were used in the production area. Portable fire extinguishers were provided, but IOSHA said that workers were not adequately trained in their use.

 

“Pyro is contesting the penalties and findings, said IOSHA spokeswoman Diane Mack. A hearing will likely be scheduled for July or August, she said.

 

Sources

 

Pharos-Tribune, Logansport, IN. “4 killed in explosion.” 10-4-2001, p. 1. Accessed 8-7-2017 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/logansport-pharos-tribune-oct-04-2001-p-1/?tag

 

Pharos-Tribune (Dave Kitchell), Logansport, IN. “Burn victim could hold vital clues. Explosion cause may never be known.” 10-7-2001, p. 1. Accessed 8-7-2017 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/logansport-pharos-tribune-oct-07-2001-p-1/?tag

 

Pharos-Tribune, Logansport, IN. “Cause of deadly explosion undetermined.” 11-15-2001, p. 3. Accessed 8-7-2017: https://newspaperarchive.com/logansport-pharos-tribune-nov-15-2001-p-3/?tag

 

Pharos-Tribune, Logansport, IN. “Factory explosion victims identified.” 10-5-2001, p. 1. Accessed 8-7-2017: https://newspaperarchive.com/logansport-pharos-tribune-oct-05-2001-p-1/?tag

 

Pharos-Tribune, Logansport, IN. “Mother of explosion victims says safety procedures ignored.” 10-11-2011, p. 3. Accessed 8-7-2017 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/logansport-pharos-tribune-oct-11-2001-p-3/?tag

 

U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board (CSB). Investigation Report: Combustible Dust Hazard Study (Report No. 2006-H-1). Washington, DC: CSB, November 2006, 108 pages.

 

 

 

 

 

[1] “Combustible Dust Fire and Explosion Incident Data.”