Officials have released the names of two Escambia County Jail inmates killed in an apparent gas explosion.
The county said Friday that 45-year-old David Paul Weinstein and 54-year-old Robert Earl Simmons were killed when the explosion ripped through the jail late Wednesday.
Court records show Weinstein faced fraud and theft charges, while Simmons faced animal abuse charges.
The state fire marshal and the Federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives are investigating the cause of the blast.
The jail’s basement was flooded with more than 2 feet of water before the explosion.
Employees and 600 inmates evacuated the jail amid the chaos. Officials say more than 180 inmates were treated and released from local hospitals.
Two inmates and a jail employee were hospitalized with more serious injuries.
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