A lightning strike at a Glenpool tank farm causes three tanks to catch fire, leaving a large plume of smoke that can be seen for miles.
The strike happened at roughly 8:30am on Monday as part of a thunderstorm that hit the area earlier that morning.
According to communications officials with the City of Glenpool, the tank was a natural gas tank on a tank farm located near U.S. Highway 75 and 126th Street.
Shortly after the fire was reported, emergency crews began closing the surrounding streets, and Glenpool Public Schools was ordered to shelter in place as as a precaution. Hwy 75 remained open to traffic, but drivers were being cautioned about the incident.
By 10:30am, the Glenpool Fire Department had confirmed that two tanks were on fire. Additional firefighting resources for this type of fire were said to be en route to assist. By 11:20am, three tanks were on fire, and “all responding agencies are focused on containing the flames to those tanks already involved,” according to communication officials.
What about the air quality?
As of 11:30am, Glenpool Fire Chief Paul Newton said that the smoke was extensive, but that it was staying above the community. Newton warned that could change as the winds change in the aftermath of this morning’s storm. Air monitoring in Glenpool is in place and has reported nothing of concern at this time.
Chief Newton recommends residents stay indoors if possible and limit outdoor exposure while the fire is active. This is not a shelter-in-place order, but it is a shelter-in-place recommendation to the public in the general Glenpool area.
Explorer Pipeline, the company who owns the tanks, put out a statement explaining that “the three tanks involved in the fire contained natural gasoline, a liquid fuel used in the production of gasoline and other products.”
The welcome rain storm that hit the area early this morning has now given way to an ongoing plume of smoke that continues to billow into the skies long after the clouds have departed.
Police on the scene told Sapulpa Times that there’s not a lot they can do while the fire is going, except try to contain it and keep it from hitting the other tanks on the farm, or any other structures nearby.
So far, no injuries have been reported.
The fire is expected to burn for at least several more hours.