FRESNO, Calif. (AP) – Authorities in central California say a jail inmate who was injured in a gas pipeline explosion at a sheriff’s gun range has died.
The Fresno County Sheriff’s Office said 52-year-old Jeremiah Espino died at a hospital Monday afternoon. He had suffered severe injuries in the April 17 blast.
The explosion sent 11 people to the hospital, including eight jail inmates who were doing cleanup work at the range and a county employee. Sheriff’s spokesman Tony Botti says two other inmates and the county worker are still hospitalized.
The blast occurred while the employee was using a front-loader to build a dirt berm to confine gunfire to the range. Pacific Gas & Electric Co. says it appears the employee ruptured its pipeline.
The California Public Utilities Commission is investigating the blast.