Hero firefighter’s recovery continues

A Key Largo first responder hospitalized after attempting to rescue four utility workers trapped in a gas-filled drainage hole Monday continues his recovery in a mainland hospital, but his condition is improving.

Leonardo Moreno was flown to Jackson Memorial Hospital’s Ryder Trauma Center after being overcome by noxious gas while trying to save the lives of the four contracted utility workers who passed out about 15 feet underground Monday morning. Key Largo Volunteer Fire Department Chief Don Bock confirmed the hero firefighter is Moreno and said he’s getting better.

“He is up walking around, starting to remember more of what happened and might be discharged from the hospital Friday,” Bock said Thursday.

That’s a welcome development, given doctors put him in an induced coma Monday, when Monroe County Sheriff Rick Ramsay said the eight-year veteran of the department was “fighting for his life.”

Three of the four workers Moreno went down the hole to save were likely already dead by the time he reached them. The other worker was treated at the scene. The incident happened on Long Key Road, a street in a residential subdivision off the bay side of mile marker 106.

The deceased were employed by D.N. Higgins. The Ann Arbor, Michigan-based company was contracted by Monroe County for a repaving project in the subdivision. The Monroe County Sheriff’s Office identified the men as Elway Gray, 34, of Fort Lauderdale, Louis O’Keefe, 49, of Little Torch Key and Robert Wilson, 24, of Summerland Key. An office manager said the company is not commenting on the incident when reached by phone Thursday.

Ramsay said one of the men entered the drainage hole to look into why a section of the street was not settling properly. When he didn’t come back up, his colleagues went in after him and one by one, they were overtaken by gas fumes.

Miami-Dade Fire Rescue hazmat crews confirmed the gas was hydrogen sulfide and methane. Ramsay said the drainage hole was not properly ventilated. Along with his agency, the incident is being investigated by the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration.

Deputies and firefighters arrived at the scene shortly after 8:30 a.m. Moreno entered the hole without his air tank because he could not fit through the hole with it, Ramsay said. A colleague was able to don his gear and pull Moreno out. He was also able to retrieve three of the four D.N. Higgins crew.

The third deceased man was retrieved later in the afternoon by Miami-Dade Fire Rescue hazmat firefighters.

Monday, Monroe’s 911 dispatch got the emergency call about 8:30 a.m. Rescue workers also evacuated people in the immediate area because of a possible gas leak.

As for the drainage hole, Ramsay said they typically have vents to avoid gas buildups, and this hole showed no signs of venting.

In April, 2002, an OSHA inspection of a Higgins project on a Marco Island manhole resulted in a $2,500 fine that got settled for $1,875.

The citation said, among other violations, that atmospheric testing wasn't performed; a confined space entry program wasn't implemented; confined space entry permits weren't implemented by a qualified person; a rescue plan wasn't implemented; rescue services weren't available in a timely manner; and rescue equipment wasn't on site.

This story was originally published January 20, 2017 at 10:31 AM with the headline "Hero firefighter’s recovery continues."