Charlottesville, Virginia (Platts)--8Feb2010/500 pm EST/2200 GMT

A seven-member team from the US Chemical Safety Board sent to investigate Sunday's explosion at the 620-MW Kleen Energy Systems plant in Middletown, Connecticut, was turned away from the site when they arrived there Monday, agency spokesman Daniel Horowitz said.

"Around noontime [EST], the team went to the entrance and were turned away by the local police chief," Horowitz said. "He asserted it was a crime scene." Horowitz said "federal law is pretty clear on the point that the board has access to the site...setting aside legalities, the public has a basic right to know what happened there."

Horowitz said the US Occupational Safety and Health Administration had been conducting interviews at the site since Monday. The CSB is now talking with congressional representatives, the Middletown mayor's office and others to gain access to the site.

A person answering the phone at Mayor Sebastian Giuliano's office said access may have been denied because of safety concerns, including falling debris and high winds. However, she confirmed that local officials Monday afternoon were treating the explosion site as a crime scene.

On Sunday, five people were killed and at least 14 injured about 11:19 am EST when the explosion occurred. Giuliano said later in the day that a gas line was being purged at the time.

--Gail Roberts, gail_roberts@platts.com