1 Dead, 3 Injured In Oil Tank Battery Fire
FIRESTONE, Colo. (CBS4)- Thick, black smoke billowed from an oil tank in Weld County on Thursday afternoon. When investigators arrived, they discovered the body of a maintenance worker, who was pronounced dead on scene.
Another worker was seriously burned and two others have moderate injuries. No homes were damaged, and there were no evacuation orders issued.
Crews arrived to find an Anadarko oil tank battery engulfed in flames. The fire was quickly put out. Anadarko sent investigators to the scene of what's being called an industrial accident.
The Weld County Sheriff's Office says preliminary information suggests workers were performing maintenance on the battery when the incident happened.
"There were some people out here working on the battery when the accident happened. We don't know what they were doing, but they were working on it performing maintenance," said Weld County Sheriff's Office spokesman Matt Turner.
The oil tank is located in Mead at Weld County Road 13 and Highway 66 about eight miles east of Longmont and about five miles north of Firestone.
Media staging for the Mead oil tank fire on the north side of Hwy 66, .5 miles east of WCR 13.
— Mt View Fire Rescue (@MVFireRescue) May 25, 2017
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The identity of the person killed has not been released. The other three victims were rushed to nearby hospitals. The investigation is expected to continue on Friday.
Crews working on the oil tank fire in Mead. Code 10 Photography. pic.twitter.com/JGLI5QflM6
— Mt View Fire Rescue (@MVFireRescue) May 25, 2017
The oil well is in Mountain View Fire Department's district.