Blast investigation threatened by snow

Middletown, Conn. (WTNH) - The investigation into the Kleen Energy power plant explosion, that killed five and injured 12, has come to a hault for the evening. It is the first full day since the deadly blast happened and a lot more has to be searched before a storm that is set to sweep in later this week.

Click here for the list of names of those fatally injured in Sunday's blast.

"There are certain locations that have not yet been searched," said Middletown Mayor Sebastian Giuliano. "The Major Crime Unit of the State Police is mapping the blast site; other hazards are being removed from the building."

The dangers are real; a shifting pile of rubble surrounded by an unsteady shell of steel. Buried in the concrete and twisted metal are acetylene cutting tanks filled with flammable gas.

"There is a lot of debris around them so they have to move that debris; that has to be done carefully because that is part of the investigation," said Middletown Deputy Fire Marshal Al Santostefano. "So they will remove pieces. And as they get a tank free, they get the tank out and then move on to the next tank."

Today, the clock is ticking. A judge signed a 72-hour search warrant for the power plant. And time is of essence with an impending snowstorm just around the corner.

The state police will be leading the investigation, along with the A.T.F and OSHA.

"The way it was told to me this morning is that all industry standards were being followed, but as the mayor said something was missed," said Deputy Fire Marshal Santostefano.

For now, the building stands shredded and blowing in the wind. A police officer will stand watch until Tuesday morning at 7 a.m. when the investigation will continue into what caused the explosion.

"For the people who lost loved ones or have been injured, this is not going to be a distant memory," said Mayor Giuliano. "Lives are changed forever and that is who we are thinking about right now."

Along with a local investigation, Governor Rell is launching an investigation of her own to find the origin of the explosion. For more on that, click here .