Victims of N.C. blast were contractors for S.C. company

With Connie Sage

OCRACOKE ISLAND, N.C.

The four people who died after a truck full of fireworks exploded here on July Fourth were contractors for Melrose South Pyrotechnics of Catawba, S.C., said the crew's supervisor.

"One hundred percent it wasn't anything done improperly," said Ronnie Tesseneer, 56, the contractor who supervised the team from Goldsboro, N.C.

"I truly believe somebody stumbled or somebody turned around and lost the grip" on boxes of fireworks, Tesseneer said in a telephone interview Monday. "All I know is I've got four dead friends and we're trying to deal with it."

Terry Holland, 51; Charles Kirkland Jr., 49; Lisa Simmons, 41, all of Goldsboro, and Mark Hill, 21, of Wayne County, were identified as the four killed after the explosion Saturday. They attended the Lord's Table Church in Goldsboro, which is a little more than 50 miles southeast of Raleigh.

A fifth victim, whom Tesseneer identified as Holland's nephew Martez, was reported Monday to be in stable condition at Jaycee Burn Center at UNC Hospitals in Chapel Hill.

The five were among 25 parishioners on nine teams who were hired by Tesseneer and paid by Melrose, Tesseneer said.

"When something as bad as this happens, your mind starts playing games," Tesseneer said. "What did I miss? What did they miss?... You start second-guessing yourself."

He said he's certain Holland missed nothing.

The explosion could have been caused by something "as simple as a box being dropped" or static electricity, he said.

Both Holland and Tesseneer worked in maintenance at the church, and both were Christian puppeteers. Holland had worked with Tesseneer with fireworks for about nine years and had been taking part in the Ocracoke celebration for three or four years, Tesseneer said.

Simmons had helped with fireworks shows for three or four years, he said.

Hill was a first-timer who took the place of a crew member from the church who was sick, Tesseneer said.

Crew chiefs in North Carolina do not need a license to shoot fireworks but are required to have a commercial driving license to handle hazardous materials, said Tesseneer, who led the crew that shot off fireworks in Elizabeth City, N.C., on Saturday night.

Holland was like a son, said Bill Wilson, senior pastor at the Lord's Table. He had worked at the church for a decade - five years as a volunteer before being hired as maintenance and grounds supervisor.

"Terry had a very gracious spirit," Wilson said. "He had a servant's heart."

At 51, Holland played outfield on the church's softball team. "The younger guys complained because he was so much better than they are," said Ken Jefferson Jr., the church's youth and children's pastor.

Simmons would have celebrated her 42nd birthday next week, said her mother, Judy Gray, of Brunswick, Ga.

"She was a ray of sunshine on a cloudy day," Gray said. The middle child of five children, Simmons was a computer whiz who loved children. She was a "good Christian girl," who recently was rebaptized at the church, Gray said.

Simmons' son, 8-year-old Avery Jackson "A.J." Simmons, will live with his father in Goldsboro, Gray said.

Kirkland was the son of Charles Kirkland Sr., the Lord's Table's pastor for pastoral care.

The truck was in a parking lot near the South Ferry Terminal about 9 a.m. Saturday when there was a sudden explosion, followed by a much larger explosion. Three of the workers died Saturday, and a fourth died Sunday.

As is required by law, the truck had been the only vehicle on the Hatteras-Ocracoke ferry when it traveled to the site during the day on Friday, said Jamie Tunnell, Hyde County spokeswoman.

The federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives has ruled the explosion accidental but has not provided further details.

Investigators with the state Department of Labor arrived Saturday and were still there Monday, said spokeswoman Dolores Quesenberry. A report is expected in three to four months, she said.

Melrose South Pyrotechnics was cited by the South Carolina Department of Labor in 2001 for nine serious safety violations related to the death of one worker who was unpacking fireworks at a shed when they exploded.

According to the April 2002 settlement, violations included lack of proper ventilation for explosives; failure to use vehicles transporting explosives that are strong enough and in good mechanical condition; and failure to properly train a lead fireworks shooter and three helpers.

Melrose agreed to pay a $20,750 fine and consent to warrantless inspections for three years. The company was cited in 2003 for a serious violation unrelated to explosives.