The notorious Hunters Point PG&E power plant that spewed poison from its smokestack for more than 75 years killed again Monday, when two five-story boiler towers collapsed, causing life threatening injuries to two workers and death to a third. The plant is being demolished after decades of community pressure finally shut it down. Photo: Mark Muhammad

Details are sketchy as to what actually brought the boiler tower down; however, area citizens reported hearing the crashing sound from as far away as Third Street. One neighboring resident stated that while shopping in Bayview Plaza, she heard a loud "Boom!" which prompted her and others to drive over to see what happened.

San Francisco emergency crews soon crowded the site. Rescuers had to cut through metal rubble and debris to reach one injured worker. The dangers involved in the rescue were magnified due to the risk of a further structural collapse. Within an hour's time, the worker was freed but not without life-threatening injuries.

One other worker whose legs were crushed in the accident was able to wiggle his own way out from under the steel before rescue crews arrived. Both workers were only identified as long-time male employees of LVI Services, Inc., a company with a comprehensive - but sometimes dark - history of demolition experience. According to the San Francisco Chronicle, records show the company has had its "fair share of accidents," including one last spring on the PG&E site.

The third victim remained trapped into the night. According to reports on the ground, the steel had to be cut away carefully because the remaining beams were dangerously unstable. By 9 p.m., rescuers had extricated the body of the third worker.

Area environmental rights advocates have been concerned with the demolition of the plant all along. According to an anonymous source, the demolition is three months ahead of schedule and crews have been pushed to make it a "rush job."

Other community members expressed frustration and frank disregard for the way that the community employment mandate is being handled. They say that few community residents have been hired and most of those who had been working were recently laid off - their jobs handed to workers from outside of the community.

These accounts, also given to the major news networks that responded to the disaster, were not reported. In fact, the accident, though it involved death and disabling injury and a power plant that was at the center of bitter controversy for decades, received very little news coverage.

Some workers were ordered to return to the site for work on Tuesday. According to PG&E, the accident is under investigation.

Tonja Muhammad is a teacher at Muhammad University and Hunters Point resident.

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