Father: Son had safety concerns

Three workers were rescued, but a fourth one is presumed dead.
CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) -- The father of a power plant worker rescued from a burning 100-story smokestack says his son complained about safety issues only days before the fire.
Workers were installing a fiberglass lining inside the stack when the fire broke out Saturday. Three workers were briefly trapped, and a fourth was missing and presumed dead at the Kammer-Mitchell plant, owned by Columbus, Ohio-based American Electric Power.
David Earley II, one of the rescued workers, had complained that a hoist used to lift materials and workers had no brakes and was held aloft only by its gears, his father, David Earley, told The Associated Press.
"There needs to be a safe alternative to get people down," the elder Earley said Sunday night about the plant. "My son asked for that."
Earley, 29, of New Matamoras, Ohio; Jay McDonald, 59, of Kanab, Utah; and Timothy Wells, 36, of New Martinsville, were trapped for two hours above the flames before a dramatic rescue by a police helicopter.
McDonald was in good condition Sunday night at a Pittsburgh hospital. Earley and Wells were treated and released. The workers are employed by Pullman Power LLC of Kansas City, Mo.
A spokeswoman for Pullman Power, Kimberly Kayler, wouldn't discuss the safety allegation Monday.
"Right now, our primary concern is for the welfare of Pullman Power employees and their families," she told The Associated Press by e-mail.
Earley said his son and the other workers "held on to each other and prayed" while awaiting rescue.
Other details
The cause of the fire had not been determined. The stack liner was destroyed, and large amounts of debris were lying in the stack's base. Pullman engineers will determine when it will be safe for crews to resume a search.
Earley said his son, terrified of heights, usually operated equipment from the ground but was told Saturday night to go to the top of the stack.
"They told him if he didn't get up there, he would be fired," Earley said. "My son didn't have an air pack or safety harness. He called down and said he needed a safety harness and someone sent one up. All them boys would be dead if they didn't have a safety harness."
Earley's son recounted how his stomach and thighs were burned through three layers of clothes.
"They had to keep putting the fire out on each other because their clothes would catch fire," his father said.
Earley was the only one with a working radio, the elder Earley said.
AEP is upgrading the coal-fired power plant to bring it into compliance with federal air pollution regulations. The plant is about 70 miles southwest of Pittsburgh.