Robert Earl Simmons
Robert Earl Simmons, 54, died on April 30, 2014, when an explosion tore through the Escambia County Jail in Pensacola, Florida, late on a Wednesday night. Officials called it an apparent gas explosion, and the state fire marshal and federal ATF investigators were working to determine the cause. The sheriff's office said the jail's basement had more than two feet of water from heavy rain at the time, and that a flooded laundry room may have been leaking gas. People held at the jail told family and attorneys they had smelled gas before the blast, but the county said it had no record of those concerns.
Cause of death, as reported: Died in an accident (neglect alleged). Sheriff David Morgan said a gas explosion was likely, but inmates told family and attorneys they smelled gas before the blast, and the county said it had no record of those concerns.
Reported by: Escambia County Sheriff's Office (the agency that held them). The only account of how this person died comes from the agency that held them.
Sources (6)
- ‘Complete destruction’: 2 die, dozens hurt as explosion shatters Florida jail
- Escambia County Jail in Pensacola, Florida, Hit by Deadly Blast
- 2 dead, 100 injured in Florida jail explosion
- Pensacola, Florida Jail That Exploded Had Past Problems
- Names of 2 dead inmates in jail explosion released
- Demo day:Old Escambia County jail being torn down almost five years after fatal explosion - WEAR-TV