MANCHESTER, Ohio — After a month of searching and waiting, crews have recovered the body of the last remaining worker buried in the collapsed Killen Generating Station in Adams County, the firm responsible for the demolition announced Saturday.

The firm first located the body of Jamie Fitzgerald on Friday after almost a month of careful search efforts. Fitzgerald was working with four other men as part of a demolition crew inside the retired Manchester power station when it collapsed the morning of Dec. 9. First responders rescued three of the men that day, and they were hospitalized in stable condition. Days later, crews recovered the body of the fourth, Clyde Douglas Gray.

Portraits provided. Sky 9 image by WCPO photographer Dwayne Slavey.

The Adamo Group released this statement early Saturday afternoon, after Fitzgerald's family had been notified:

"It was with tremendous sorrow that we have informed the loved ones and immediate family of Jamie Fitzgerald that he has been recovered and removed from the Killen Generating Station site in Adams County, Oh. This is a difficult time and we continue to express our deepest sympathy, thoughts and prayers to Jamie's fiancée, children, family and friends."

"Our crews worked as diligently and safely as possible to expedite an extremely complex recovery in a sensitive manner. We wish to thank our employees; the first responders, emergency personnel and law enforcement officers who assisted in the recovery effort, including the Adams County Sheriff's Office, the Manchester Fire Department, The Ohio State Patrol and the Ohio Department of Natural Resources; officials from The U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) for their guidance and support; and the engineering firm of Thornton Tomasetti for their expertise and assistance."

CINCINNATI —

The Surfside condo collapse is bringing back memories of a recent collapse here in Greater Cincinnati.

The Killen Generating Station along U.S. 52 in Adams County was set for demolition, but it collapsed during the process trapping five men inside. Only three survived.

The men and women who go into situations like this are a special group of people who often are working through harsh conditions to try and save lives.

Cincinnati Fire Department Operations Chief Tom Lakamp is also the Commissioner for our areas Urban Search and Rescue Team. He says one of the biggest issues they have is holding his team back, even after long shifts, as they try to grind out every moment to bring a victim home.

“Nothing moves fast,” Lakamp said.

Lakamp knows scenes like in Miami all too well.

“There's always a hope until you've exhausted any and all areas where you think there might be a void for survival,” he said.

His team is made up of about 125 firefighters from multiple departments across the region. They get the call to save lives in devastating situations.

“The key is having really good experts with you. They probably have a plan A, a plan B, a plan C, a plan D they are starting to implement simultaneously,” Lakamp said.

In December 2020, his team responded to a deadly collapse of that old Killen plant. Their quick response and planning paid off.

“At the Killen collapse, we were able to rescue one of the workers within the first three hours to make that rescue. That does a lot for morale,” Lakamp said.

Lakamp says the tragic incidents of Miami and Adams County are different because of the construction methods. Each has a very different possibility of open areas for survival. But the bottom line remains the same, the men and women on these teams are putting their tools and training into action to reunite families.

“What you see on television and what you've been able to follow, they are coming in from the bottom and they're also coming in from the top. They are doing whatever they can to give anybody the opportunity to survive,” Lakamp said.

You can hear our full conversation on the beyond the studio podcast which is out right now. Click here.