A massive explosion accident sent 14 oil storage tanks up in flames near New Town, North Dakota, this week. An investigation is underway regarding the underlying cause of the blast. Fortunately, no one was killed or appeared to be injured in the New Town explosion accident. The oil storage tank facility is owned and operate by Slawson Exploration Company.
Firefighters were at the scene directly after the explosion. Officials explained that the plan of action was to permit the blaze from the blast to burn out. They reported that the oil tank explosion fire did burn out within a few hours without further immediate incident at the blast site.
Although no one appeared to have been injured, and no one was killed, as a result of the oil storage tank explosion accident was not without consequences. The long-term impact of the New Town oil tank explosion may not fully be known for some time.
The North Dakota explosion accident resulted in 25,000 gallons of oil to spill. In addition, 10,206 gallons of what technically is known as brine gushed onto the ground as a result of the significant oil storage tank blast.
Brine is defined as highly concentrated saltwater. Brine is produced as part of the process of extracting oil and gas from well sites. Officials with the company that owns the storage tank facility, Slawson Exploration, explained that brine is brine ends up being transported to an injection site for underground storage after it surfaces during the normal course of oil and gas extraction and production.
According to officials, the expelled oil and brine was contained at the site of the storage tanks. The oil reportedly was burnt off as a result of the fire following the explosion. Firefighters and representatives of the company maintain at this time that the fire consumed the oil swiftly enough to prevent any significant soil contamination.
Thus far, the company has made only a qualified comment about the long-term impact of the brine that spilled as a result of the oil storage tank explosion accident. Brine is not combustible and did persist following the fire. Because of its nature, brine saturated the soil at the site of the oil tank farm. What is unknown at the moment is whether or not the brine will get into any water supply that extends beyond the oil storage tank site or how far it may contaminate soil.
Brine is not known to cause health problems in and of itself. However, if the brine that broke loose following the oil tank farm blast is not effectively contained at the well site, neighboring properties could be contaminated with the substance. Brine soil contamination has the capacity for causing significant damage to soil that can persist for an extended period of time and can prove costly to attempt to remediate. As was discussed a moment ago, Slawson Exploration Company is maintaining at this time that both the spilled oil and brine are contained to the storage tank site.
If you’ve been injured as the result of an explosion accident, or if you’ve suffered property damage as the result of such an incident, the legal team at The Doan Law Firm is here for you. You can connect with an explosion accident lawyer from our firm any time of the day or night by calling (800) 349-0000. Our explosion accident lawyer hotline is staffed 365 days a week, including all major holidays.
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