Demolition man wasn’t licensed to carry out work that almost killed him.
Police have arrested and subsequently charged a demolition man who was almost killed when a chimney fell onto his excavator in the aftermath of a botched implosion.
At the time of the demolition, which we reported here, the contractor hired to remove the Avondale Mills smokestack was not licensed to perform the work by the State of Alabama. Discovery of the issue led authorities to launch an investigation last week that resulted in criminal charges.
Pell City resident Tim Phifer, owner of Phoenix Services of Alabama, LLC, was arrested Friday, Dec. 4 and charged with one felony count of possession of illegal explosives. He was held over the weekend in the St. Clair County Jail in Pell City and released on bond on Dec. 8.
According to Assistant State Fire Marshal Scott Pilgreen, the State of Alabama Fire Marshal’s Office launched an investigation into Phifer and his business following national circulation of video footage of the smokestack demolition.
“We became aware of the incident after we saw the same video a lot of people saw,” Pilgreen said.
Pilgreen said his office conducted an immediate inquiry and found that Phifer’s blasting permit from the State of Alabama was no longer valid. This led to further investigation and the eventual discovery of materials that resulted in the arrest.
“The explosives he possessed he should not have had in his possession,” Pilgreen said, adding that the charge was directly related to the materials and not the status of Philfer’s license.
Pilgreen said Phifer was licensed by the Federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), but both individuals and the contractors they work for must be licensed but the State to perform explosive demolition in Alabama according to the Alabama Safety in Explosives Act of 1993.
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