Federal safety agency to release report on tunnel fire that killed 5 at hydroelectric plant

Feds to release report on Colo. fire that killed 5

DENVER — The U.S. Chemical Safety Board will release a 15-minute safety video and its final report of its investigation into a tunnel fire that killed five workers at a hydroelectric plant in Colorado.

The independent federal agency investigates serious chemical accidents and makes safety recommendations. In a trailer for the safety video release Wednesday, the board says Minneapolis-based Xcel Energy Inc. chose a contractor mainly because of its low bid.

The October 2007 fire started when flammable vapors ignited on a machine used to spray a coat of epoxy sealant on a portion of a 4,000-foot-long water pipe, trapping five workers inside. The workers survived the fire for about 45 minutes before they died at the site, about 45 miles west of Denver.