Incident Report

Subject:         USA - Lightning Sparks Oil Tank Battery Fire

Date of Email report:  Wed 08/10/2014 09:37

Report Detail:

A lightning strike caused an oil tank battery to catch fire, leading to multiple explosions in Dorchester off State Highway 289 early Monday morning. Some families were evacuated from their homes and thick black smoke could be seen for miles away. Those evacuated residents were able to go home just a few hours after the fire started, and fire officials were able to put out the fire in the afternoon.
No injuries were reported.

Dorchester resident Tracy Goldston said he went outside to look after the first explosion, "Just a big burst of lightning, and the windows kind of shook, and I noticed a glow of orange out the window and I came to the porch and noticed the tanks were on fire and I called 911."  He said he was on the phone with a 911 dispatcher when he witnessed the second explosion.  News 12: What did it look like?   Goldston: Just a big glow of orange! And a big boom! When the tank blew up while I was talking to her, right then she said 'Well I'm getting somebody out there.'"   

Half a dozen fire departments responded once it was safe to start fighting the flames with foam.   "We kind of waited for a bit--make sure that there wasn't going to be another explosion," said Grayson County Fire Marshal Kevin Walton.  Walton said they also used more than 10,000 gallons of water to put out the fire, and that an incident like this isn't as uncommon as one would think.  "It happens about once or twice a year actually," Walton said. "It's not uncommon for lightning to strike them, and there's nothing that can be done about it."   "It was quite a bit of excitement for Dorchester," said Goldston.

The Railroad Commission, who is responsible for the clean-up, released this statement:

"The Commission’s Oil and Gas Division District Office in Wichita Falls received notification today about a lightning strike at 6:30 a.m. today at a storage facility for Slawson Exploration Company, Inc. in Grayson County. Oil and produced water (saltwater that is produced along with oil) were stored at the site located east of State Highway 289. The operator, Slawson Exploration Company Inc., is in the process of removing all freestanding liquids, and about 40 barrels of oil remain to be removed. Additionally, the operator will be required to clean up any soil impacted by the spill. There is no specific timeframe for the cleanup completion at this time."

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