Homes Evacuated After Gas Explosion In Eastern Logan County

An explosion at a natural gas compressor station near the Logan and Lincoln County lines forced the evacuation of homes within one square mile of the incident, Thursday night.

The incident occurred near county road 3290 and 810, to the southeast of the town of Langston. Crews from Lincoln, Payne and Oklahoma Counties were able to put out the fire. But the investigation is only beginning.

Emergency responders were able to move in closer just after midnight, and extinguish what was left of the fire that could be seen from miles away. The chief says a pickup truck, a storage shed, and several trees were still burning after the natural gas vapors dissipated to a point that allowed his crews to go in and attack the fire.

When it happened Thursday night, there was one company employee at the site who safely made it out, but there was fear of a second explosion. That's why nearby families were asked to get far away from their homes.

"We did evacuate three homes north of the station itself out of fear of second explosion. Red cross getting them a place to stay tonight," said Chief Eric Harlow with the Guthrie Fire Department.

That compressor station is owned by a company called DCP Midstream, and an employee is still there on the site at Friday morning, monitoring it to make sure nothing flares back up.

Chief Harlow says the company will begin its investigation on Friday to find out what happened.

The DEQ and Corporation Commission will also play a role in that investigation.

No injuries have been reported.