On Friday, May 12, 2000, the Department responded to report of a pressure vessel explosion, at the Avon High School. At the request of the State Fire Marshal’s office through Sergent Viola, I arrived at the site to investigate the incident.
It was determined that a five (5) gallon electric hot water heater located in a storage room immediately adjacent to the high school cafeteria catastrophically failed causing severe damage to the surrounding area.
The blast occurred at 6:05 p.m. Thursday, May 11, 2000. Two custodians, Sharon Brennon, and John Morrata, were working in the cafeteria minutes prior to the failure. They indicated that they were working immediately beside the wall that collapsed just before they went for a coffee break. Just as they took their break, Ms. Brennon indicated that they heard a “big boom” and immediately ran for the door fearing a secondary gas explosion. Ms. Brennon and Mr. Morrata did not previously respond to any problems with hot water that day, but they worked the afternoon shift that did not require any demand for hot water on that system.
By Mark F. Mooney, Assistant Chief of Inspections
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