Four Arizona firefighters who were injured last week in a battery explosion at a power substation are expected to fully recover.
Three of the firefighters are still at Maricopa County Medical Center in Phoenix, the Peoria Fire-Medical Department wrote in an online update. They were identified as:
- Capt. Hunter Clare, who suffered severe injuries and is in stable condition.
- Engineer Justin Lopez, who suffered severe injures and is in stable condition.
- Firefighter Matt Cottini, who is in stable condition.
- Firefighter Jake Ciulla, who was discharged from the hosptial.
The men were part of the department's hazardous materials team, KTVK-TV reports. They suffered a combination of broken bones, cuts and chemical burns from the incident.
Lopez sustained the worst injuries, caused by the force of the explosion at Arizona Public Service's battery storage substation, Michael Semler, a fire department spokesman. Four firefighters from the Surprise Fire Department also were hurt in the incident.
"It's devastating. We're just very thankful they're alive," Semler told KTVK.
APS is blaming the incident on an equipment failure, the cause is still under investigation, according to the TV station. Large, utility-sized lithium batteries were used at the substation for the storage and distribution of solar energy.
