The state FM has been gracious in sharing this information with the SAFTENG community.
Location:
Legal Description: S27, T22 N, R59 E, W2 LESS 19.4 AC TO HWY
47.6390 -104.13953
Highway 261 about 2 miles s of Highway 23
Property Owner: XXXXXXXX
Land leased by: XXXXXXXX
Site operator: XXXXXXXX
Living on site in trailer house: XXXXXXX
Date of Fire: 06/25/2025
Time: 19:54
First Fire Unit on Scene: 702 at 20:02
Fire Department responding: Sidney Vol Fire Department
Units that responded: 701 XXXXXXXXX (Chief), 702 XXXXXXXXX (Deputy Chief), 703 XXXXXX (Deputy Chief), 713 (Pumper), 714 (Pumper), 716 (Tanker), 719 (Grass rig), 706 (Grass rig), and 729 (Van)
Other agencies on scene: Richland County Sherriff office
Richland Count Ambulance (for standby)
Richland County DES
Marshal First Contact:
Made contact with 701 on the highway 261 so drone could be utilized to look for any personal on site. Due to low battery only short flight and no people were identified on site.
Initial Scene Assessment
- Safety concerns: Oil production site with unknown product and amount of product that was on site .
- Fact that there were prior explosions and still had strong fire and sealed tanks in the fire area.
- Equipment and manpower needed: Needed units to extinguish grass fire and units to do traffic and site control.
- List fatalities or injuries: No injuries reported. No one was on site at the time of fire reported.
- Orient of location: The site was off of Highway 261 approximately 320 feet to the property line.
- Owners & occupants what they saw. No one present at the time of fire reported. Fire was first reported by neighbor land owner XXXXXXXX.
- First fire fighters on the scene: 702 XXXXXXXXX Deputy Chief was first on scene. He entered the property and was trying to assess the situation along with 703 XXXXXXXXX Deputy Chief. They found heavy fire where the propane tank was and very heavy fire and smoke on the upright tanks with the smoke and flames heaviest in the NW corner of the tank. Nothing was reading on the 4 gas monitor. The two were set assessing the situation and talking to XXXXXXXXX about halfway up the driveway to the site. While they were assessing the situation the propane tanks exploded. At this time they determined that they were to close and extended the evacuation area. 702 retreated back to highway 261 on the north side and meet up with 701 XXXXXXXXX and staged. 703 went to the south side on highway 261 and cr 119. Since two semis and other vehicles were seen on scene a drone was requested to look for victims. Shortly after XXXXXXXXX arrived on scene and stated that to his knowledge he was the last one on the property and that no one else should be on site.
- Examine surrounding area: The site was surrounded by crop land. Which was damaged by the heat.
- Construction type: Oil production site. Looks like a disposal site.
- Occupancy use: Oil recovery site for off spec oil. (Oil not good enough to sell outright brought in and was treated, separated and sold)
Examine structural interior.
- Conditions of occupancy: In regular use.
- Nature of contents: Oil containers that ranged from 400 barrels 750 barrels.
- Shape of living conditions: On the site was a 5th wheel camper used on occasion by the operator XXXXXXXXX. XXXXXXXXX was the owner of the 5th wheel camper.
- Areas of fire damage
- Severe fire damage. The tanks in the west side had the most damage. The area around the treater had severe damage. The treater had a split in the bottom and the heat shield had separated from the side. The top of number 22 had come off and landed next to the treater. Number 8 tank had blown toward the south. The propane tank area and the visible travel pattern. The 2 semis parked next to the tanks. The crane in the middle and the hot oil truck. 5th Wheel camper that was in the direction of flames and smoke during the fire causing the full burning of the camper. The trailer with the generator and the shack in the center was a total loss.
- o Moderate damage: The tanks number 1,3,5,7,2,4,6,10,1,21
- o Minor damage: The tanks on the east side numbers 19,18,17,16,15,14,13
- Weather conditions: June 25,2025 High was 82 degrees and the low got to 56 degrees that night the wind was blowing out the east about 10 miles per hour. At 8 pm the temp was about 71 degrees.
- Preliminary Fire Spread Hypothesis
- A Lighting- Storms were in the area on the 25 of June. If lighting were to hit the site it could be plausible to start a tank on fire. After talking to the neighbors that are located about 4000 feet from the site stated that the storms were north of them by a ways and they did not hear any thunder in the area. Also the lighting map with the weather service indicated any lighting in the area for the day.
B. Prior in the day XXXXXXXXX was treating oil from tank 1 to the semi transfer pump to the treater and then back to tank 1. XXXXXXXXX stated that he heats the product to about 212 degrees and then sends it back to the tank where its separates and then the “good oil rises to the top and skimmed to another tank. The salt water is then sent to a tank. Once that tank is full enough to fill a semi load it is sent off site to a salt water disposal site. It was a hypothesis that the treater was left on and overheated but further exam the valves were found in a closed position. Dan reports that he left the site around 4:30 pm
C. XXXXXXXXX reports that next to the transfer pump he stores a centrifuge that tests the oil. Prior to this year he had always used store bought shop rags but they did not absorb well enough. So last fall he started to use rags that were made from old shirts. The new rags that were used were placed back in the same cabinet as the centrifuge. If these rags were to catch fire and start the area around the semi causing the semi and product to ignite.
D. The generator next to the propane tank was an area of interest. Since it was close enough to the propane tanks and would be a source of heat. The drone footage shows the trailer in good condition prior to the explosion.
E. Static electricity is known to cause issues and explosions at oil production sites in the past.
F. the Semi trucks were an area of possibility but Dan stated that neither had been started for the past 3 days. This does not include the transfer pump on the closest semi that was used that day. The same with the hot oil truck and crane (weeks).
G. Extension cords that were ran across the yard. Stated that he had not used the cord recently and it was not plugged into anything. It was found in an unplugged state as well.
H. Propane tank was in use. XXXXXXXXX used it prior in the afternoon when heating the treater. Appeared to shut off at the treater but valves appeared to be open on tank side. The tank had lines from the tank to the treaters that were laying on the ground. In the drone footage the lines appeared to have burned away. XXXXXXXXX stated that he had a raw type of propane that he used to heat and then he would use to thin the product.
In-Depth Exterior Surface Examination
- Pre-fire condition: In use
- Explosion damage :
- Propane tank explosion: big tank was about 40 long 8 tall split in half and one section went north 654 feet after going through a metal container and hitting the dirt berm. The other section traveled 681 feet west and landed on the highway. A front section about 4ft by 6 ft – 1 inch thick chunk went 1212 ft. SW across the highway by cr 119. A chunk of pipe 4 ft. long also traveled over 1200 ft away near the front section.
- The treater had an explosion at the bottom of the tank. The explosion pushed the heat shield back on the west side toward the semi.
- Tank 22 had an explosion where the top of the tank came off and landed next to the treater.
- Tank 8 exploded and landed about 68 feet from its initial location.
Fire Scene Inspection
- At 11:00 am on 6/26/2025 I was able to start onsite inspection and picture documentation.
- Request DES XXXXXXXXX to fly drone to assist with documentation and measurement of debris.
- Requested assistance from ATF Certified Fire Inspector XXXXXXXXX
- At about 4:30 pm on 6/26/2025 Special Agent XXXXXXXXX arrived on site.
- The two agencies walked the site until about 730 pm. With the assistance of DES XXXXXXXXX who came on site while we were in the location as a safety precaution
- At 7:30 am on 6/27/2025 I meet Special agent XXXXXXXXX on site and continued our walk through. At about 9:00 am we meet with XXXXXXXXX on site to explain the process that is used at the location.
- By 12:30 pm on 6/27/2025 we cleared the scene. XXXXXXXXX was told to wait to touch anything until the insurance company told him that he was good to start clean up.
- XXXXXXXXX did install a couple dykes to stop the spread of oil from the location. DES did request that he completed this task.
Source & Form of Heat of Ignition
- Unknown ignition source.
First Material Ignited
- Unknown first material ignited.
Ignition Sequence
- unknown ignition sequence
Insurance
XXXXXXXXX
Reference
Fire Report 2025-090
Sheriff CFS25-04680
Photos
DES Drone Footage
Drone Footage courtesy (Storm Chaser Aaron Rigsby)
Cause of the Fire
• Undetermined there are more than one hypothesis than cannot be rejected.
Kale Rasmussen-FIT
Fire Marshal City of Sidney and Richland County
XXXXXXXXX
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