Woman Killed In Substation Explosion Identified

Late Monday afternoon investigators identified 48-year-old Beverly Armstrong as the private contractor killed in Sunday's explosion at a power substation in Kissimmee.

AT THE SCENE: Images Of Flames, Damage

Monday morning, Kissimmee Utility Authority (KUA) released pictures of two employees injured in the blast.

Witnesses said John Johnson and Robert Treasure tried but we unable to help the woman. Johnson and Treasure were flown to Orlando Regional Medical Center following the blast.

"Our transformer exploded around 9:16 a.m. killing a contractor's employee on site and seriously injuring two of our employees. Their injuries are very serious but not life-threatening," said Grant Lacerte of the KUA.

Workers were at the substation Monday trying to determine if there is a risk of the same type accident happening at another substation. They said it could be months before they know the cause of the blast that rocked the entire neighborhood.

"I heard a big boom, my whole bedroom shook," said a neighbor.

After the explosion, residents came outside to see what they believed was a man completely engulfed in flames.

"He was running, and engulfed from head to toe. Smoke was in the air, the flames were really high," said eyewitness Emerald Ford.

"It was horrific, it's something that you really just don't want to see. It just stays in your memory for a long time," said eyewitness Lisa Wise.

A KUA spokesman said the crew was doing routine maintenance on the recently installed transformer inside the substation when it blew up.

KUA officials did not say if their employees reported anything out of the ordinary just before the blast. It is the utility's first fatal accident.

"I can tell you in 110 years of our existence, since 1901, we've never lost anyone. Yesterday was the saddest day in our organization's history," said Lacerte.

Investigators said the search for the cause of the explosion is difficult because multiple companies made components for the transformer. Several government agencies, including the Public Service Commission and OSHA, are investigating.