Big Bend Power Station Accident: 2 Dead, 4 Injured

APOLLO BEACH, FL — Hillsborough County Fire Rescue and sheriff’s deputies were on the scene of Tampa Electric’s Big Bend Power Station Thursday evening after two people were killed and four suffered life-threatening injuries during a possible explosion.

The sheriff’s office wrote in a 5:31 p.m. June 29 email to media that the scene was “still very active.” The incident is being described as an industrial accident.

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The accident at the 603 Big Bend Road plant occurred shortly before 4:30 p.m. Thursday. Several media outlets are reporting the accident involved an explosion inside the power plant.

Routine maintenance was being performed on a "slag tank" when the accident happened, TECO spokeswoman Cherie Jacobs told Patch. The tank contains burned pieces of coal and water.

Jacobs said five of the six people involved in the accident were contractors for TECO. One was an employee. The names of those involved are not being released at this time. Jacobs said the cause of the accident remains under investigation.

"It's a sad day here," Jacobs said.

The Big Bend Power Station sits on 1,500 acres of land near Apollo Beach. It houses four coal-fired units, according to the TECO website.

No further information is available at this time.

This is a developing story. Refresh the page for updates as they become available.

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