Wyoming was the site of a horrific explosion on Wednesday at a natural gas plant, and officials say the fire is still burning too hot to really fight it.
There’s no word on when residents of the small town of Opal will be able to return to their homes after being evacuated on Wednesday, but no injuries were reported. Authorities say the cause of the blast is unknown but is being investigated.
“It burned so hot you can’t fight this thing,” Lincoln County spokesman Stephen Malik said.
Officials say they will have to let the fire burn itself out before allowing residents to come back; all 95 members of the community were evacuated to nearby towns, where Williams Partners LP is putting them up at hotels. The company is based in Tulsa, Oklahoma but operates the gas plant.
“They were downwind from the plant,” Lincoln County Sheriff Shane Johnson said. “The fire was still very active, and because of the nature of the processing that goes on there, that was the call that was made for safety reasons.”
“We want to make sure everybody’s taken care of and they’re put up for the night if they’re not able to go back to their houses,” Williams spokeswoman Michele Swaner said.
Natural gas explosion prompts evacuation of Wyoming town. #fracking http://t.co/sFowPYTL8z
— Earthjustice (@Earthjustice) April 24, 2014
Explosion hits gas plant near Opal, Wyoming, town evacuated, injuries reported http://t.co/B5cK81OptC @passantino pic.twitter.com/wH5ahXvtIA
— NewsBreaker (@NewsBreaker) April 23, 2014
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