UPDATED: Inside The Mission To Remove Man’s Body From Underground Explosion Site

UPDATED: 8:39 p.m., Wednesday:

Bensalem officials confirmed Wednesday evening that the body of gas station co-owner Joseph Vigilante’s body was pulled from the underground vault.

Bensalem Director of Public Safety Fred Harran called the incident a “tragic accident.”

Original Post:

Three two-person teams of specially-trained emergency personnel began efforts Wednesday afternoon to remove the body of a man trapped following a Tuesday afternoon explosion.

The crews began their efforts around 3:30 p.m. to remove the body of Joseph Vigilante, part owner of the Liberty Gas-Vigilante Service Center in the 1200 block of Bristol Pike in Bensalem, after his remains were located, officials said.

Vigilante’s body was trapped under two-feet of debris in the vault that surrounds the gas station’s underground tanks where the explosion happened around 4:50 p.m. Tuesday. The vault goes down about 10 to 15 feet and one gas tank can hold up to 8,000 gallons of fuel.

Much of the fuel from the tank near where Vigilante’s body was trapped had been pumped out.

Frank Tomasiello, 61, worked part-time at the gas station, according to Philly.com, and was standing above ground near the vault when the explosion happened. Officials said he was badly burned.

The cause of the explosion was not released by officials. They said the investigation was underway.

Due to the explosion, one of the gas tanks – one of three underground at the station – was compromised and caused a dangerous situation for recovery teams, officials said. They added the two other underground tanks were not damaged and will be emptied after the recovery operation has ended.

Bensalem Fire Rescue Battalion Chief Rob Sponheimer told reporters that the operation on Wednesday was recovery of Vigilante’s body and then mitigation of the fuel.

Shortly after fire crews arrived to the explosion scene Tuesday, a large piece of concrete was stabilized and a rescue team made their way into the vault. Sponheimer explained that the confined space was filled with high levels of dangerous gas, debris, and dust. The conditions caused crews to be pulled from the vault before they could locate Vigilante.

“It continues to be dangerous for rescue workers,” Bensalem Director of Public Safety Fred Harran said around 3:30 p.m. Wednesday.

“This is a small area within a small area,” Harran said of the area where Vigilante’s remains were located Wednesday.

The two-person teams will head into the tank vault and work to remove Vigilante’s body in 15-minute shifts. The rescuers have been trained in technical rescues.

Harran said recovery crews will work when they feel it is safe.

A rescue team stood by to help recovery crews in case of an emergency.

Additional equipment could be brought in to help remove Vigilante’s body.

Officials warned that the recovery operation would be a “a very slow process.”

“Our goal now is to bring closure to the family so they can begin the healing process,” the public safety director said.

“This has been a long, slow operation and we’re hoping no one gets hurt,” Harran said.

Outside of local firefighters, medics, and police, members from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration were at the scene.

In addition to firefighters and rescue crews that responded to the scene Tuesday, the Philadelphia Fire Department sent their elite Rescue 1 unit the scene. Sponheimer said Bucks County crews worked with Philadelphia firefighters and bounced ideas off of them.

Sponheimer said Bensalem and Bucks County crews have trained for technical rescues in the past and were able to use their skills during the rescue and later recovery operations.