Two Texas oilfield workers suffered serious injuries last Friday morning, when a storage tank suddenly erupted in flames at a Henderson County petroleum facility.
Henderson County Tank Fire Ignited on Block T Petroleum Site
The September 6th fire broke out shortly after 8:00 a.m. at the Block T Petroleum site located off FM 317 just outside Chandler. Smoke from the burning tank was seen for miles, and multiple departments from Henderson County, Coffee City, and Chandler were deployed to the site.
A hazmat team also responded to the scene, but no evacuations were necessary. While crews managed to extinguish the blaze by 11:30 a.m., they remained in place for several hours to guard against reignition.
“The tank that’s on fire is a water and oil mix and it’s just a work over rig that’s in there,” Coffee City fire chief Chris Moore told KLTV. “Fortunate of unfortunates; it’s always a hazard and risk of explosion and flashes and spreads, but we arrived on scene relatively quick and were able to contain everything.”
Pioneer Contractors Hospitalized after Henderson County Tank Fire
Helicopters flew the two injured contractors to a hospital in Dallas.
According to a representative of Block T Petroleum, both men work for a rig company called “Pioneer.” Although the extent of their injuries remains unclear, it appears they weren’t life-threatening.
The U.S. Occupational Safety & Health Administration is investigating the incident.
3 Oilfield Workers Severely Burned in Jasper County Rig Explosion
Unfortunately, the Henderson County tank fire was only the latest oilfield accident to injure Texas workers over the past several months. One of the most serious incidents occurred on August 9th, when a rig exploded on a Jeffcoat Production site in Jasper County, severely burning three contractors.
The injured men were apparently part of a crew using a “work over rig” to perform maintenance on a well. As they were circulating the well, natural gas fumes somehow got into the engine that turns the pump. According to a witness, the workers attempted to shut down the machinery, but were unable to prevent the uncontrolled release of natural gas.
Rusk County Oilfield Accidents Injure 3 Workers
Another East Texas oilfield worker was hospitalized on July 24th, following a violent tanker truck explosion at the WOI Petroleum facility in Rusk County. While it’s not clear what caused the truck to blow up, witnesses indicated the vehicle was refueling when it exploded.
Two other Rusk County oilfield workers suffered head and back injuries while attempting to pull pipe from a well at an oilfield outside Henderson on May 16th. According to media reports, the pipe separated during the operation, striking both men.
Contact Our Undefeated Texas Oilfield Accident Lawyers for a Free Consult by Calling 1-888-603-3636 or CLICK HERE
Our Undefeated Oilfield Accident Attorneys are investigating the Henderson County tank fire and will post an update if new information becomes available.
In addition to being undefeated, we’ve won billions for thousands of workers in Texas, Louisiana, and across the United States in connection with the worst oilfield accidents and industrial explosions in recent history.
If you have questions about your legal rights and options following the Block T Petroleum fire or any other oilfield accident, please call 1-888-603-3636 or Click Here to send us a confidential email via our “Contact Us” form.
All consultations are free, and since we only work on a contingency-fee basis, you’ll owe nothing unless we win your case.