MIAMI (AP) – A grand jury concluded that there wasn’t enough evidence to bring criminal charges in an explosion at a Florida jail that killed two inmates and paralyzed a guard, according to a report released Thursday.
The explosion ripped through the jail’s bottom floor on April 30, a day after torrential rain left 2 feet of water in the building’s basement. The blast injured 200 people at the Escambia County Jail.
The grand jurors concluded that “criminal charges are not appropriate,” and issued a number of recommendations for Escambia County officials as they rebuild the jail in Pensacola.
In the report released by the State Attorney’s Office, the grand jury noted that a spark from an unknown source ignited natural gas and caused the explosion.
Sheriff David Morgan had no comment on the report.