One contract worker is still in critical condition and another is in serious condition after an explosion at the Patapsco Wastewater Treatment Plant yesterday that was likely caused by an electrical issue, according to a statement from the Department of Public Works (DPW).

When first responders arrived at the facility at 3501 Asiatic Avenue yesterday, two workers were found to be in critical condition.

“A third person made themselves known later in the incident,” Baltimore City Fire Chief James Wallace explained at a joint press conference outside the south Baltimore facility late yesterday.

“We’re just asking everyone to really think about those workers and their condition and their families,” Mayor Brandon Scott said at the press conference.

Today’s statement from DPW disclosed that the plant was left without power immediately after the explosion, resulting in a “sewer overflow” on Patapsco Avenue.

The overflow was subsequently contained and will be reported, according to the DPW statement, which did not disclose the size of the sewage release.

Since power was restored Tuesday night, the plant has been able to properly treat all wastewater, officials said.

A spokesperson with the Maryland Department of the Environment said last night that inspectors were on their way to the site to begin an investigation.

DPW did not announce a cause for the explosion, but noted the contractors were working on electrical improvements at the time “and the event appears to have involved an electrical fault or arc flash associated with that construction activity.”

Work on the capital project to expand of plant’s electrical capacity has been suspended pending the results of an investigation, the agency said.

The DPW statement also stressed that there was no evidence that the explosion resulted from the plant’s “wastewater treatment process, digester gas, combustible materials, or any plant operations associated with explosive hazards.”