Overview
- A massive explosion and fire struck the Explorer Pipeline tank farm near Highway 75 around 8:30 a.m. Monday after a suspected lightning strike, with early reports saying two to three tanks caught fire and a large black smoke plume rose over Glenpool.
- Authorities ordered evacuations for homes and businesses east of Highway 75 between West 126th and West 131st, locked key intersections, and Glenpool Public Schools put campuses on shelter-in-place while first responders secured the scene.
- Firefighters from multiple agencies used foam to control the blaze and declared the fire out after nearly 12 hours, with crews continuing periodic foam application and tank cooling into Tuesday to prevent reignition.
- Explorer Pipeline and officials have implemented a cleanup and waste-disposal plan and are working with the EPA on fence-line air-quality monitoring while the public is asked to avoid the site during ongoing operations.
- Investigators are probing the exact cause and which products were in the tanks following mixed early reports that named LNG and 'natural gasoline,' and Glenpool’s long history of tank-farm incidents helps explain the heavy foam, evacuations, and safety precautions used by responders.