Demolition expert says PG&E plant's safety zone wasn't large enough

The 1,000-foot perimeter safety zone for Saturday's demolition of the Pacific Gas & Electric steam power structures that critically injured a spectator was not large enough, a demolition expert said Sunday.

The early morning implosion of the long-abandoned plant's twin boilers sent steel and concrete debris into a crowd of onlookers 1,000 feet away in the Lowe's parking lot on Coffee Road.

The contractor didn't have a safety zone large enough," said Herb Duane, a consultant for hundreds of demolition and implosion projects around the world. "When you have a strong force and you're knocking down steel, it will shoot out much farther than if you did a regular demolition."

Duane, president of Duane Corp., in North Conway, N.H., said there is no industry standard for a safety zone, but 1,000 to 1,500 feet from the blast is common. The size of the zone is decided by the contractor, he said.

The most seriously injured spectator Saturday was flown to a Fresno hospital where one of his legs was amputated. He had not been publicly identified by late Sunday, although Bakersfield police said he was 43.

The 6 a.m. explosion sent debris across Coffee Road and a canal bordered by two chain-link fences, peppering spectators and vehicles.

Four other people suffered minor injuries.

Duane said similar demolitions usually occur at off hours in order to keep the number of spectators low.

"The less people around the less chance of a problem," he said.

Cleveland Wrecking Co., of Covina, was the prime contractor. Subcontractor Alpha Demolition hired Demtech Inc. to take down the structures.

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Demolition expert says PG&E plant's safety zone wasn't large enough