US Gas Plant Explosion Rocks Small Town, Major Evacuations Undertaken

A fire broke out July 9 at a gas plant in Medford, Oklahoma, prompting the closures of nearby roads and evacuations of residents in neighboring areas. Medford — a town of 932 people, according to the 2020 census — sits…

IJR SyndicatedJul 10, 20223 min read

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remains uncertain,

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reported.

The plant was operated by natural gas liquids corporation ONEOK.

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Following the outbreak of the blaze, Medford City authorities urged residents living within a 2-mile radius of the plant to leave immediately.

Medford Public School, Blackwell Hotel, Wakita FD, Hawley Church and the Jefferson United Methodist Church opened their doors to those seeking safe shelter from the incident.

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The Grant County Sheriff’s Office issued a warning for motorists, instructing them to avoid traveling into or through Medford along U.S. Highway 81.

The sheriff’s office also announced that ONEOK had organized accommodation for displaced residents in multiple hotels in Enid, which is around 33.7 miles away from Medford. According to the sheriff’s office, the hotels included Hampton Inn, Holiday Inn Express & Suites, Springhill Suites, LaQuinta and Baymont.

“Our focus continues working with emergency responders to extinguish the Fire and the Safety of the surrounding community and our employees,” ONEOK said in a statement shared with CBS News.

ONEOK was “unaware of any injuries,” the corporation said in the statement, according to the outlet.

Authorities were still investigating the cause of the Explosion, KWCH-DT reported.

News of the ONEOK Fire came as the nation faces high Gas Prices, although the prices have been coming down in the past few weeks, according to AAA data.

A series of fires hit U.S. food processing facilities earlier this year, raising concerns that the attacks could be arson intended to hurt U.S. food supply amid global food insecurity due to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Fact-checkers, however, have dismissed such concerns as conspiracy theories.

This article appeared originally on The Western Journal.