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Tama couple suing C6-Zero over alleged injuries from blast
Demolition starts on part of the Marengo building where the blast occurred
MARENGO — A Tama County man suffered severe burns on one-third of his body in a Dec. 8 explosion at the C6-Zero plant, where he worked as a contractor, according to a lawsuit filed in Iowa County.
Kelly Regenold and his wife, Tammy Courbat, filed the suit March 21 against C6-Zero Iowa, C6-Zero Holdings and Heartland Crush LLC, the company that owns the Marengo building where the blast happened.
“The explosion blew Plaintiff off of a ladder and across the floor of the building. The subsequent fire destroyed the building and Plaintiff barely escaped with his life,” the lawsuit states. “Plaintiff was taken by ambulance to the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics where he was admitted for severe burns over 30 to 39% of his body, plus other injuries caused by the explosion and fire.”
Regenold is the second person working at C6-Zero to announce suffering major injuries in the explosion and fire. A GoFundMe page was set up soon after the fire for Cody Blasberg, who was severely burned and had to temporarily be put on a ventilator because of his injuries.
Regenold v C6-Zero Petition - 3.21.2023 by Gazetteonline on Scribd
C6-Zero did not have state permits to operate at the warehouse at 810 E. South St., in Marengo. The company was attempting to dissolve used roofing shingles using chemicals, oils and solvents “the vapors from which were toxic and flammable,” the suit states.
The morning of Dec. 8, when C6-Zero owner Howard Brand III was testing out the equipment, a mechanical failure ignited the air vapors and caused an explosion.
Regenold, who was working for Deep Lake Outsourcing LLC at the C6-Zero plant, was on a ladder near the chemical vats when the blast occurred. He was among employees and others transported by ambulance to UIHC, where he remained for a month, the suit states.
“He has been left with extensive scarring and disfigurement throughout his body from the burns and skin grafting required to treat his burns,” the suit states.
Nine employees were injured in the blast, with six needing one day away from work, according to an OSHA Form 300 C6-Zero filed with the Department of Labor. The Gazette obtained a redacted copy of the form through a Freedom of Information request to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
A seventh injured employee required an “on-job transfer or restriction” and an eighth employee had no information listed for how long they missed work or whether they required a transfer.
OSHA Form C6-Zero by Gazetteonline on Scribd
Regenold and Courbat are seeking financial compensation for Regenold’s injuries and damages the couple has suffered as well as punitive damages against C6-Zero “in such amount as will deter C6-Zero and others from similar conduct.”
C6-Zero Spokesman Mark Corallo said the company had no comment on the pending litigation.
Demolition begins at Marengo plant
The Iowa Demolition Company on Monday started tearing down part of the burned-out plant. A backhoe with a claw attachment grabbed part of the metal shell and pulled it down, then hauled away piles of twisted metal and blackened debris.
The demolition, expected to last several days, has stalled environmental cleanup at the site, according to EcoSource, a Des Moines-area company C6-Zero hired to deal with water and soil polluted by chemicals stored at the site.
“Due to the structural issues present in the structure, EcoSource does not want excavation equipment and personnel around the building until the structure is down,” the company said in a March 20 update to the Iowa Department of Natural Resources.
EcoSource said it still does not know where it will dispose of contaminated water and soil.
“Iowa DNR and Metro Waste are both resistant to allowing standard disposal methods (solidification, landfilling, landfarming),” the company wrote. “The preferred location for liquid is Metro Park East landfill, and the Iowa County landfill for the soil disposal.”
The delays seem to indicate EcoSource did not meet a March 31 deadline for implementing a Site Assessment Plan.
EcoSource Weekly Status Report - 23001 (1) by Gazetteonline on Scribd
Comments: (319) 339-3157; erin.jordan@thegazette.com
Workers watch as a section of piping is lifted off the roof during demolition of the C6-Zero facility in Marengo on Monday. An explosion and fire at the shingle recycling business Dec. 8, 2022, injured 15 people and required the evacuation of nearby neighborhoods until it was safe for residents to return. Water from the area surrounding the facility is being treated for PFAS chemicals before being released into the Iowa River. (Jim Slosiarek/The Gazette)
Workers prepare a section of piping to be removed from the roof as demolition of the C6-Zero facility continues in Marengo on Monday. An explosion and fire at the shingle recycling business Dec. 8, 2022, injured 15 people and required the evacuation of nearby neighborhoods until it was safe for residents to return. Water from the area surrounding the facility is being treated for PFAS chemicals before being released into the Iowa River. (Jim Slosiarek/The Gazette)
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