DEQ Issues Fines, Deadlines For Companies Storing Expired Hand Sanitizer

The Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality announced penalties Wednesday after multiple fires were sparked by hazardous waste.

DEQ general counsel Rob Singletary made the announcement during a Wednesday afternoon news conference in Chickasha, the site of a hand sanitizer fire at Bordwine Development earlier this month.

Related: EPA To Remove Sanitizer Involved In Chickasha Fires

Singletary said DEQ investigators determined three sites were harboring expired hand sanitizer which, under certain conditions, can become ignitable.

The agency issued administrative compliance orders at each site Monday. The order includes payment of a fine worth more than $6.6 million and a requirement to properly dispose of the hazardous waste within the next 30 days.

Grady County District Attorney Jason Hicks said the investigation into the Bordwine Development fire, which includes at least eight local and state agencies, is “not complete at this time.”

News 9 reporter Sylvia Corkill will have more on this story tonight on News 9 at 6 p.m. and 10 p.m.