APS Electrician Who Died in Phoenix Explosion Identified

PHOENIX, AZ — Ricardo “Rico” Castillo, 41, has been identified as the Arizona Public Services worker who died in an underground explosion on Sunday night. His 42nd birthday would have been Monday. Castillo was married with children and a respected mentor at his church.

Another APS employee working with Castillo was able to escape the burning electrical vault as flames shot out of a manhole cover near Washington Street and First Avenue. The 46-year-old man was treated at the Maricopa Medical Burn center and has been released from the hospital.

The fire occurred at approximately 10:30 p.m. in an underground electrical vault as the result of an explosion. City authorities and APS are still investigating the cause of the incident though the Arizona Republic reported an electrical arc occurred prior to the fire breaking out.

The incident caused power outages that shut down the Superior Court of Arizona in Maricopa County on Monday though it was expected to resume normal operations Tuesday, according to azfamily.com. Public transit services, including the Valley Metro light rail, were temporarily restricted on Monday but have since been restored.

Phoenix Fire Captain Rob McDade told ABC15 fire department workers were as prepared as possible to respond to the fire due to a training partnership between the two organizations.

A highly anticipated Phoenix City Council, expected to be well attended and contentious as it will address reforms to the Phoenix Police Department, has been moved to the Orpheum Theater.

Despite most buildings resuming normal operations today, buildings in downtown Phoenix may remain without power for days. A statement released by APS said this includes the Wells Fargo tower.