Smokers injured when storage tank explodes

Smoking: two smokers cause saltwater storage tank to explode

Luke Johnson

 01 February 2013 19:39 GMT

A man and a woman smoking on top of a saltwater disposal tank in north-east Texas were badly burned this week when the tank exploded.

The blast and subsequent fire occurred around 3 am local time on Tuesday in Van Zandt County about 75 miles east of Dallas, according to reports.

Three of the fiberglass tanks containing produced water burned and another three steel tanks containing minimal oil "sludge" were also destroyed, said Dan Crawford, a partner of Houston-based Three Forks Energy, which owned the site.

The man and the woman, both 24, were not employees of Three Forks and are presumed to be trespassers. Crawford did not know if they would face charges. Repeated calls to…

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