Just an update, received word that my friend was not at work at the time of the explosion. The explosion was so bad that it blew most of the paneling off the building that holds the gas turbine buildings. From what I have heard so far, they were purging the gas lines with air and they had a gas valve that was leaking by, the static electricty produced by the high volume of air caused the gas to ignite. Not official yet but that is just what I heard.
Chris