Storm sparks tank fire

Firefighters contain blaze at petroleum farm near Glenpool.

No injuries reported, but four homes south of the area were evacuated.

GLENPOOL -- A lightning strike Monday morning ignited a storage tank at a petroleum farm two miles north of Glenpool.

Four homes were evacuated south of the fire for fear of explosions, Tulsa fire Capt. Larry Bowles said.

No one was injured in the blaze, said John Godfrey, a spokesman for Explorer Pipeline, which owns the tank.

"We're just trying to not make a bad accident worse, Godfrey said. "We want to contain it where it is.

Before noon, the northern wall of the tank collapsed, spilling burning fuel. Firefighters were able to contain the fire to one tank in the 31-tank farm, Bowles said.

Smoke over Glenpool

Glenpool residents reported seeing smoke after 9 a.m., and emergency crews were dispatched to the scene, Bowles said.

The 5.3 million gallon tank was nearly full with unleaded gasoline when the fire began. Officials began to drain the tank from the bottom as a column of smoke billowed straight up into the air and then floated south over Glenpool.

Bowles said firefighters spent most of the day dousing the tank with water to keep it cool and maintain the structure.

A petroleum fire specialist from Beaumont, Texas, arrived Monday afternoon and made the decision to attack the blaze with flame retardant foam as soon as the tank emptied and flames began to die down.

"If you had to pick a tank to be on fire, this would be the one you want, Bowles said.

The fire was extinguished by 7 p.m.

The tank is surrounded by a protective berm and set off from the other tanks. Firefighters only were able to get within 750 feet of the flames, which reached temperatures of 1,900 degrees, Bowles said.

Explorer Pipeline closed its pipeline for three hours. The pipeline runs from Houston to Chicago through the tank farm, Godfrey said.

'We should be fine this time'

Scotty Adams was evacuated from his home three years ago when a storage tank owned by ConocoPhillips caught fire at the same location. His family lives four blocks south of the petroleum farm.

Adams said that the tank exploded, scattering fire-retardant foam across his neighborhood and ruining his hot-tub cover.

"It came down, and it looked a lot like snow. As long as they can keep it from raining down, we should be fine this time, Adams said.

That fire led to the evacuation of 250 people in April 2003. It started when static electricity ignited diesel fumes. Adams said the unleaded smoke from Monday's fire was rising higher in the air before blowing away than the diesel smoke in 2003.

Glenpool resident Ashley Marquiess said she had concerns about smoke in the air over the city. She smelled the smoke as she left her house in the morning. The wind shifted in the afternoon, sending the plume of smoke west of Glenpool.

Bowles said fire officials were monitoring the air quality south of the petroleum farm.