Page 2 - Florida Sentinel 7-25-17

Features
Deadly TECO Blast Claims Life Of Fifth Victim
CHRISTOPHER IRVIN ANTONIO NAVARRETE FRANKIE LEE JONES ... died at the scene ... died July 5, 2017 ... died July 15
ARMANDO PEREZ ... died July 20
BY IRIS B. HOLTON Sentinel City Editor
On June 29th, six men were critically injured in an industrial accident at the Tampa Electric Company’s Big Ben Plant, in Apollo Beach. Two men died at the scene, and two others died within days of being injured. Last Thursday, a fifth man
died of the injuries he re- ceived.
A spokesperson for Tampa Electric issued the following statement, “We are very saddened to report that BRACE employee Armando Perez has died as a result of injuries suffered during the incident at Tampa Electric's Big Bend power plant on June 29. Our heartfelt prayers and sympathy are ex- tended to his family and friends as we keep our pri- mary focus on supporting
our employees and their fam- ilies during this difficult time.”
All of the men were burned while attempting to unclog a tank that contained slag, a bi-product of the coal used to create electricity. The slag has been compared to volcanic lava and reaches temperatures of 1,000 de- grees.
One of the men was em- ployed by TECO and the oth- ers were employees of BRACE and Gaffin Indus-
tries.
TECO Engineer Michael
McCort, 60, and Gaffin In- dustries Crew Supervisor Christopher Irvin, 40, died at the scene.
Antonio Navarrete, 21, of Wimauma, and Frankie Lee Jones, 55, of Tampa, succumbed to their injuries. On Thursday, Armando J. Perez, 56, of Wimauma, died.
Gary Marine, Jr., 32, of Tampa, who is the stepson of Frankie Lee Jones, re-
mains hospitalized at Tampa General Hospital.
After the accident, Gor- don Gillette, President and CEO of Tampa Electric Com- pany announced that a Relief Fund had been established to help the families of the vic- tims. He said, “We have seen such an incredible outpour- ing of support from our em- ployees and the community. This fund will directly help the families touched by this tragic incident.”
TECO provided an initial contribution to open the TECO Family Relief Fund and will cover administrative charges. The affected fami- lies will receive 100% of all subsequent donations. Addi- tionally, TECO will match contributions.
The accident is being in- vestigated by the Occupa- tional Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). It could take several weeks be- fore the findings are known and made public.
Anyone wishing to make a donation to the TECO Family Relief Fund can visit the web- site at www.cftampabay.org/teco- familyrelief.
Police Find Teen Missing For More Than A Week
CHERISH WILLIAMS
... AKA Pretty Elyce Williams
The Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office said a 17-year- old girl who had been missing for more than a week has been located.
According to police, Cher- ish Williams, aka Pretty Elyce Williams, was found and returned to her home. Her family reported her missing after she left her home in Thonotosassa on July 13th, around 8:45 p.m.
PAGE 2 FLORIDA SENTINEL BULLETIN PUBLISHED EVERY TUESDAY AND FRIDAY TUESDAY, JULY 25, 2017