Contractors Burned In Explosion After Track Hoe Hit Gas Pipe

Four people have been hospitalized with burns after a truck hit a gas line in Wagoner County Thursday night. Emergency personnel say private contractors were working with a track hoe when they struck a natural gas pipe, causing the explosion.
Three of the workers were severely burned and authorities say a fourth person was taken to the hospital with burns to his hands. Wagoner County Emergency Management says they are they are monitoring the fire waiting for it to burn out, which may take several hours.

Crews were able to shut off the natural gas flowing through the pipe, so there is no risk for further explosions.

Fire crews were at a staging at a church for a wildfire near the explosion when the call came in.

“All of our departments were still on scene over there and so we cut some loose to come to this and plus Wagoner still had some in service over here so were actually being this late helped us,” said Wagoner County Emergency Management director Heath Underwood.

The incident happened near 720 Road and County Road 220 about a mile north of Highway 51.