SPRINGTOWN, Texas — One teenager was killed and another was injured today when a crude oil storage tank exploded as the pair used a lit match to try to look into the tank, authorities said.
Parker County Fire Marshal Shawn Scott said the two were exploring around a pair of tanks when the explosion occurred after the lid was raised and the lit match ignited vapors in the tank. The resulting fire spread to about four acres and a second tank.
The explosion occurred late this afternoon. Fire in the tanks was being fed by gas flowing into the tanks. Crews were working to shut off the gas, but the fire was expected to burn through the night, Scott said.
Parker County Judge Mark Riley said a shelter in place call went out for residents in about a two-mile area around the tanks. The warning was lifted a few hours later.
EnCana officials reported the tank that exploded held 4,000 to 5,000 gallons of crude oil. The tank that caught fire after the initial explosion did not have much oil in it, Scott said.
