Always amazes me when a man gets into a situation he can’t handle even being drowned in Lava our first instinct is to call mom. Mom isn’t going to let anything happen to us. Just have to get a hold of mom and she will have authorities here before I can hang up the phone. It’s that little boy in us that never goes away. She’s been bailing us out our whole life so it makes sense. To all the moms in the comments God Bless you.

I hate stories like the third one where the deaths could have been completely avoided if it wasn’t for a company’s greed and complete disregard for safety. In the end, paying off the families probably cost more than it would have taken to turn off the boiler. They literally forced their workers into suicide. I hope the families of those who died are doing ok

As soon as he started describing the slag I knew exactly how poor Antonio would die. I just didn't know it would be so needless.

I can't believe the police never thought of the attic.

The story with her being trapped with nobody to help her, starving or suffocating to death is one of the worst ways to go. Really sad death, rest in peace to the cats as well.

I've learned to recognize the following red flags when watching Mr. Ballen: 1. Small spaces 2. Oversized ovens 3. Cutting corners at workplaces 😬

As a cat lady myself, I feel so depressed about all those cats and that poor woman who had nobody to rescue her, what a heartbreaking story 😞

The last story is not only heartbreaking, it is horrific! The person who didn't shut off the boiler should be in prison. Companies only think about $$$, instead of thinking about the safety of their crew! The well being of the workers should be top priority no matter what the cost. May all the victims in these stories rest in peace.

What's even sadder about this story is she probably was sitting there hearing her cats meow for her.

“Mom I’m burning..” 😢 how awful.. that was one of the hardest to hear 😓 So good to share these stories so others are aware of the dangers in places like that.

Omg that slag story is just horrible, what negligence on that power company, no amount of money would be enough to have a loved one die in such a horrific way. :(

I’m so choked up on this one with the boiler. I can’t even imagine what the family especially the mom felt during all that including the settlement process. No amount of money can ever replace that son, that father… It’s so horrible.

The last story about Antonio really bothered me. So i have spent the last few hours looking through articles. OSHA fined them a little less than $140000 for willful negligence. They also said they were considering reporting them to the DOJ to file criminal charges. Couldn't find any confirmation on whether charges were filed or not. The CEO at the time said admitted that they ignored their own safety guidelines but they would not do it anymore UNTIL the OSHA investigation was concluded. And then they ignored that and did it again just a couple months later. The CEO resigned shortly after that came to light. They had been cutting corners to cut costs and neglecting routine maintenance for years. The union workers at the plant had been complaining for YEARS about being asked to perform these tasks while the boilers were on because they all KNEW it was unsafe and a similar incident occured in 1997 that almost killed 4 people. That is when they changed their policy. Sometime in between they stopped caring about the safety of their workers. Which is why they had to hire contractors to do the dangerous work. Most of the 6 men Mr. Ballen mentioned did were technically contractors hired to do the work. The plant said that money was not a factor in their decision to keep the boiler running, but turning it off and back on would have cost close to a quarter million, would have taken 12 hours to get the boiler back up to temperature once relit, and they were already having trouble with a couple of their other boilers and they were not working at full capacity. Boiler 2's slag hole had been clogged for over 13 hours when hey sent the men inside, even though they knew that the intense temperature and ever increasing weight and even the slightest change in conditions could have cause the hole to clear itself and flow through at any time. Also, that particular plant has the highest number of deaths of all the power plants in the state. They have 10. The next highest had 3. When I started looking I just wanted to know what they were fined and what the settlement amounts were for the families. I could not find the amounts for the families, nor could I find if criminal charges were even filed. BUT I CAN TELL YOU WHAT I WOULD HAVE ORDERED IF I WERE THE JUDGE OF CHARGING THEM FINES. First I would have asked how much money they would have lost if they had shut down the boiler to perform the work. Then I would have multiplied that by 6 for the lives they willingly put in danger. $139000 just isn't enough for all that they did.

I have a feeling the man in the first story might have been suffering from dementia. It would explain why stuff kept "disappearing" despite no one coming into his property, the very bizarre way of handling home security in extreme paranoia, and the fact he forgot about the booby traps.

Regarding the last story, to all my fellow industrial construction and maintenance workers, if a boss man asks you to something you know or feels is dangerous, for you and the others involved, say something. That boss man may want that plant or mill to run at all costs, but the world will keep turning if it’s shut down for maintenance. Stay safe

One thing I've never understood about the cat lady story is how was the attic not checked by police? The hatch/ladder would have been down right? Surely they'd go up and check and not just close it. Was it already closed? how/why would it be closed if she went up and then fell? There has got to be a detail missing.

I've had to climb inside different parts of 5 story coal boilers at a powerplant. Even after being shut down for weeks, some of the spaces we went into were like crawling into an oven. My stomach turned as I heard what they were going to do. Too many companies preach "safety first " when it's really "dollar first ".

The last story blew me away. I actually was born in Tampa and grew up on the outskirts of Wimauma. I literally lived a few miles from what we call “the stacks”, which is the power plant. IVE NEVER HEARD THIS STORY. I’m in shock. Those poor men. Absolutely heartbreaking.

I'm so claustrophobic that even just from hearing that story my anxiety level shot through the roof. Poor Mary..and poor cats.

The third story is unimaginable. Just thinking of what those men had to go through completely breaks my heart. I hope the families are doing ok and may those men rest in peace. I hope that company was up to their necks in fines and lawsuits that ended up being ten times more expensive than just turning that boiler off in the first damn place.

Antonio sounded like a bright, hard working,loving,caring American man just trying to care for his family. May he and and others from that horrible experience rest in peace.

A settlement? No, that plant manager needs prison time. That was negligent beyond comprehension.

I feel sorry for the cat lady and her kitties. What a sad situation to be so alone.

This man has re-visited the art of storytelling. He’s gifted.

This is the saddest sequence of stories, Mr Ballen. You give such detail, care and articulation that has us all mesmerized. Researching these can't be easy, but you are amazing. Thank you!

The cat lady story is horrifically depressing. But the last story Antonio...I just have no words. Knowing the way the world works, I'll bet the plant boss blamed the dead workers though.

Can I just leave a compliment for Mr Ballen for explaining everything so well, even the technical stuff, that you understand it all immediately? Especially the boiler technology, I immediately could picture how it works and what happened, even though English is not my first language. Great channel and kudos for all the work he puts into it.

As an industrial boiler technician, I arrived for a routine boiler inspection called a C.S.D.1. INSPECTION. ( controls and safety devices ) . This was a very large boiler. As such, it has many safety devices that are there for a reason. What I found was unimaginable. Workers have had a few shut downs due to low water. Each time they would reset the low water control and go about their daily routines. After a few days of intermittent low water levels, someone came up with the brilliant idea of jumping out the low water control. Thus making it inoperable. I failed them on the inspection and notified the plant engineer of my finding. I hated it, but all boiler technicians were fired on the spot. This particular boiler, if it had exploded was large enough to take out the whole building and everyone in it. Possibly neighbors as well. Possibly over 400 - 500 people in the building during the day. SAFETY FIRST.

The 3rd story is literally the most horrifying way to die. I cannot even wrap my brain around it and I cannot believe Antonio was able to stay with it enough to pull his phone out, call his mom and leave a voicemail. 😢🤯

As an Industrial Environmental Health and Safety Supervisor, that boiler story makes me absolutely nauseas. This kind of thing happens so often. I always tell my guys that, to the mill, they're nothing but a warm body with a number. NEVER do ANYTHING without properly shutting down, locking out, and trying out the machinery. What a horrible thing that money was more important to those managers than human life. Absolutely disgusting. Those poor people. :(

The last video is just gut wrenching and sad. Imagine that phone call he made, capturing the last seconds of him being alive. What was he thinking... when his mom played it…& those last seconds while dying slowly in molting fire/lava. Terrible.

As a mother I could never imagine having my only son calling me on his death. Condolences and prayer to all those families.

That last story hurt to hear. I cannot imagine what his family especially his mom and his girlfriend felt after learning about his horrific demise. I hope that Tampa Electric has decided to no longer take short cuts. That should’ve never happened. Prime example of a big business putting their dollars before the lives of their human assets.

my heart broke hearing about how the cat lady and thinking "what a horrible, horrible way to die" and then there was antonio...my condolences for all of them; may God bless their families

The second story is the saddest of all of the stories you have ever told. Poor woman 💔

Never was a cat person myself until we got one about 2 years ago, and then I found a colony of feral cats that numbers about 30 that were malnourished and living out of the local feed mill property; so for the last year and a half or so, I go there every night to feed and water them. It gets expensive, but I've made friends with quite a few of them. It's funny to see the strange looks I get from people to see a large 40 year old dude with a large group of cats surrounding me every night. I wish I had a big enough residence to where I could bring them home, but not possible right now. If I could, I'd buy a decent sized piece of property and start an animal rescue/refuge facility.

Oh my goodness. That last story is absolutely the worst things I've ever heard. I wouldn't be surprised if his mother suffers nightmares for the rest of her life. There are no words to express how awful that is. It made me cry.

The last story was pure horror. I've listened to every story on this channel, and nothing horrified me like that. What an awful way to die.

I’m not kidding, that voicemail he was quoting made me cry. I can’t imagine being a mother and just hearing my son screaming for help, and not being able to help. Condolences to his family.

Man... that cat lady story hit hard. As a cat dad myself, I could only imagine what she was going through knowing she couldn't help her babies or herself. As morbid as it sounds, I'm glad they went together at least 🖤

As a seasoned boilermaker (ones who work on those boilers) my opinion like many others, the pay off was a slap in the face. Someone needed to go to prison for a long time for making that decision.

Rest in peace to Mary, could never imagine the torture she would have gone through. Thank you for sharing these stories

I watched the cat lady story and I was thinking ‘oh my god, that is so full on’, then shortly thereafter, the slag exploding out, and melting everyone to death blew cat lady out of the ballpark. You mentioned all the families received compensation, but I hope to god the company also reviewed their safety standards and made some needed changes! Love your story-telling, thank you.

As soon as you said that the cops couldn't find her after looking all over I thought, "She's in the attic." I didn't even know if there was one in the house but I could just feel it. I wonder if they didn't check it or if they just didn't shine a light into the gap?

Christ. As a mother I couldn't help the tears when I heard the first thing he thought about was calling his mother. This brings so much awareness to the fact that these companies are willfully negligent when it comes to employee safety too often. Warehouse jobs included. I hope I'm on earth long enough for my kids to live under my roof until they find a safe work environment.

I’m reminded of the old saying “Doing what’s right doesn’t always mean doing what’s easy.” Safety measures are put in place for a reason. Thanks Mr. Ballen for another awesome set of stories!

As a mother , Antonio's story , that is haunting and I pray that this man's. Other finds some kind of peace... the pain and heartbreak she must feel everyday. Bless her...

Being trapped like that sounds absolutely horrifying.

Last story was truly heartbreaking. A young man doing those hazardous jobs for $12 bucks an hour to provide for his soon to be born son. God damn, where did we go wrong

Wow that third story was so horrific. The way you tell these stories is like watching a movie where you can “see “ what’s happening. All the stories are incredibly tragic and sad. Amazing job!

i feel so sad for Mary and all her cats 😭 people who love animals/strays deserve alot of love and kindness

I feel absolutely heartbroken for the cat lady. May her lovely soul rest in peace.

It’s crazy to me that he thought to reach into his pocket and call his mom. If you can’t run away bc it’s melts your bone away to where you just disintegrate how did he think or have time to make a phone call, have it ring 30 sec and reach voicemail. It’s got me beyond curious as to how long it took for him to die. He’s laying on his side partially submerged in literal lava. Hopefully the nerves burnt so quickly there wasn’t much pain, but burning has to be a terrible way to go. Poor man just trying to provide for his family.

Ronald’s story feels like dementia /Alzheimer’s and paranoia. The fact that he forgot about the gun he installed as a booby-trap. Possibly remembering tools he used to own at one point, and forgetting they are actually gone. It makes the most sense.

Love the format of your show. As a musician, I appreciate the music you put in the background, it is just loud enough and you always put it in right before something eerie is about to happen, a great way to prepare your views because, many of these stories are gut wrenching, but at least you give some warning. I also like the fact you cut the endings pretty quick rather than dwelling on the horror of the story's usual gut wrenching outcome, it seems to get me over them more quickly. I have encouraged other folks I know to check this site out, but I usually forewarn them, it usually shows some pretty heartbreaking stories.

The saddest part of Mary's death is that she had already died before anyone noticed she was gone. A person can only go about three days without access to water. A more thorough search of her home would not have saved her life. Human connection and support might have.

You gotta love this man. He has me captivated in each and every story he tells. Also guys, listen to his podcast. Each every episode is so informative even though though you see the actual places.

Whenever the mother figure is brought in, I always cry. The first person you think about is mom, madre, mama. He didn't call 911, even though he needed 911. He wanted his mother... to hear her voice. Even though a paramedic or an officer could save you, you still need her first. Every time I've been in distress, I reach to my mother with grasping arms. Say your "I love you"s every single damn day to that woman. For most of us, that is the only person on this Earth that will stand beside you in any dark moment, any mistake, or any misfortune.

Love a bit of Mr Ballen when I can’t sleep.

I couldn't imagine being all happy carrying his baby, so excited to see your family grow and become whole and getting a call the day you're supposed find out the gender of your child that you husband has died

When I heard the word "slag" you had my attention. I ran a co2 laser for years, and one of the by products of cutting metal is molten slag. You can barely pick up a "cooled" piece with welding gloves, and if it is still liquid and runny? No frickin way. Even with such a gift for storytelling, it is impossible to imagine the pain those men went through. Always question when an employer wants you to do maintenance on a machine that is still running. 9 times out of 10, it is a dangerous shortcut.

Oh my God, my heart breaks from that last story. Unbelievable how companies disregard the safety of their employees. I have a son and I absolutely can't imagine getting a phone call like that.

I hope Antonio's wife had a healthy baby and that the child knows how much his dad was looking forward to meeting him. Also hope that child does him proud. Terribly sad about the cat lady and her beautiful cats. Hate to think what a slow and horrible death they all had. Hope they are all together in the hereafter. the kitty innocent lives lost are the hardest just 'cause they cannot understand why.

Each person’s ending was more horrific than the last. Rest in peace.

The last story is one of the most heartbreaking you've ever told. May his soul rest easy...

Never has any of your stories hit me so hard emotionally as the last story did. Your ability to tell a story drew into the story to the point I could imagine what these young men went through.

It’s 2am I’m riddled with covid and I’m just watching all of your episodes amazing work man! Could watch you all day 😊

I usually keep my cell phone in my pocket when I do anything around my house and yard. I’ve fallen in the past and realized that would be my only way to get help if I was incapacitated. Poor poor Mary and her beautiful cats.

Mr. Ballen is probably a really fun dad ! Imagine listening to his spooky stories while camping around a campfire!

That last one was rough. I get anxious every time I see a story about someone working at a plant. Great storytelling once again, sir!

Your stories are very understandable. You explain everything in detailed. Thank you.

The cat lady was trapping cats. Those "cages" in the attic are actuallty traps. She probably went up there to get that one in the photo so she could trap more cats but fell through the floor. Makes more sense to me than cats sunbathing in an attic.

Dear God! That last story....I literally cried for those men! May they find peace and comfort in the afterlife. Mr. Ballen you never fail to deliver attention grabbing stories. Hats off to you sir!

As a mother, the story of Antonio has me crying! Hearing your baby screaming for help & you could do nothing but to mention the guilt of missing the call knowing your child in their last moments desperately reached out to you & you weren't there ... it would destroy me! 🥺😭

I worked in a boiler power plant. He did a good job at explaining the atmosphere. They would always try to avoid going offline with the boiler which always resulted us doing dangerous work. The pay was good but the constant strenuous & dangerous work wasn’t worth it. I never want to step foot in another power plant again! RIP to the poor operators that died.

I’ve been going through these for the past few days while working and as soon as the last story came up I remembered it instantly. I live less than an hour away and I go by and to Big Bend often when going to the beach and stopping by in the winter to see the manatees. This story was everywhere on tv for days after it happened and I remember being horrified. Hearing the actual story behind Antonio’s life is heartbreaking. My heart goes out to his family and Daisy and I hope they’re doing alright

the cat lady story is so heartbreaking. she probably heard how her precious cats meowed for food and she couldnt do anything. thats terrible. that must have broke her heart. im glad she is with her cats again now

The last story makes me so sad and angry. The way that these companies look at people as though they are disposable is disgusting.

So thankful for those men who do such dangerous work so we can live comfortably. God bless you all ❤

I thought Antonio would get trapped in the water tank somehow and they'd restart the process with him inside. Not even I could've seen the true outcome here. Absolutely heartbreaking

Best story teller ever. Its like he experienced each story he tells himself. Excellent spokemanship

That last story is really heartbreaking.. imagine all the lives that could be saved if companies and work-places were willing to do repairs and handling dangerous situations in a correct way and NOT CARE for the loss of money 🥺

story 2: mary didnt want to sell her house so someone could build appt complex and magically she dissapears............

In the cat lady story, the attic access ladder would have been down when the police arrived if she truly did fall accidently. She did not accidently fall in between the walls...

As an 18 year old who's main goal In life is to have a wife and child Antonio's story shakes me to my core. It really hurts me to hear how this man's life and the other workers life as well were lost because some higher ups were lazy and wanted to save money. RIP to all who lost their lives and my condolences to all their family members and all affected by their deaths 🙏🏿.

Mary's story is about THE SADDEST I've ever heard. I can't even imagine the panic she must have felt. I hope she passed quickly, and those POOR CATS! Just heart wrenching, all of it! Now, I'm going to call my elderly neighbor, Virginia, see how she's doing, and make a point of doing this more often.

The second story was sure a sad one, just thinking about that poor lady stuck in there, so desperate to get out, and her poor cats wanting and needing her, and I know she must have been so scrared, it's a terrible way to die! The whole story is sooooo sad!! 😢 The third story is a horror one, just horrible, depressing!!!

The fact that he thought to call his mom in his last moments is gut wrenching! I hope that woman knows that her son loved her enough to look to her for salvation. I can’t imagine the pain of her hearing him go through that it’s just too awful to think about.

The ‘people who weren’t supposed to go there’ series is the best series in the entirety of KZfaq. Great job Mr.Ballen.

I can’t imagine melting while being alive to feel every bit of it. I hope that mum recovered and is doing okay. Hearing her sons final words in agony, nothing is worse.

Well the police did another great job searching that cat lady’s house! This is one of the best channels on KZfaq! Great work Mr Ballen 😊

Oh man, the power plant I work at was built in the '60s and the slag taps on both units freeze over pretty often. We usually catch it before they're completely plugged up, but if they get plugged and the crushers are down? It's time to let the unit come down for repairs.

I’ve heard/read stories before of homeowners passing away inside their house and eventually being eaten by their cats who are also trapped and unfed inside the house. That’s where I thought that story was going for a minute

That is the worst accident I've ever heard of. It's a nightmare, so heartbreaking. I hope Antonio's family finds peace, especially his mom and wife. Blessings to them.

You know what is so sad about Mary and her cats is the fact the police just completely disregarded her as she was of no importance. Basically not worth the paperwork. Personally to me I think finding the situation that they had faced it was abundantly clear that Mary would definitely still be in the house somewhere. As even the neighbours who knew nothing about her still knew she wouldn't just leave her precious cats. Really sad 😔 RIP Mary

I got nightmares out of this episode, Mr. Ballen. Nightmares and phobias. 😬😵‍💫🤣

It's sickening how a company would rather kill people then have to spend money when things start to go wrong. I bet the settlement was still somehow less than the actual amount of money it would cost to turn off one boiler. This story just made me so angry.

As soon as you said they were going to do the repairs without turning off the boiler, I immediately started to tear up. Management absolutely deserves to be criminally charged for making such reckless decisions.

I still remember when you just had a few k watching you. Thankful for your story telling brother

Watching enough (if not all) of Mr. Ballen’s videos, the minute he began describing how the boiler system works, my heart sank for Antonio.