All House Explosion Victims Out of Hospital

The three men injured during a propane explosion on September 10 at 67 Wopowog Trail in Shelton have now all been released from Bridgeport Hospital, a spokesperson said Monday afternoon.

Gary Henry, 24, of Waterbury left the facility on October 28. The New Haven Register reports that Luke Lauretti, 48, brother of Mayor Mark Lauretti, was discharged a few days before Henry. Randy Fera, 59, of Stratford, was released on September 25.

All three men sustained critical injuries and were cared for at Bridgeport Hospital's burn unit. Henry's injuries were reported to be life-threatening for days after the explosion.

Henry and Fera are employees for Pioneer Gas & Appliance Co. and were installing new propane tanks in the basement of the house the day of the incident. According to police Sgt. Kevin Ahern, a leak reportedly occurred and then led to an explosion after the workers tried to relight the pilot light for the hot water heater. The force of the blast shattered the structure's main support beam, which is located directly above the tanks, Ahern said.

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration opened an investigation the day of the blast to determine whether or not the two Pioneer Gas and Appliance Co. employees installing the propane tanks violated any safety regulations.

"It is under investigation, but we've got six months to file it," a representative from OSHA said. "No clue how long it could take, but we have until, like, February."