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Lightning sparks fire at Explorer Pipeline tank farm in Glenpool, Oklahoma; foam used on three tanks
A fire broke out at about 8:30 a.m. on 17 August 2026 at the Explorer Pipeline tank farm in Glenpool, Oklahoma, near Tulsa. The company said it strongly suspected a lightning strike. The facility has more than 30 storage tanks.
Reports differ on the details. Early reports spoke of two tanks, but later reports, citing officials, said that three tanks were involved. The product was first reported as natural gas; several outlets later corrected this to natural gasoline, a liquid used as a feedstock in gasoline production. Another report described the contents only as liquid petroleum products.
Firefighters from the Glenpool Fire Department, with support from other agencies, fought the fire; one report counted around 50 firefighters on the first day. Foam was applied to the burning tanks, and crews then kept applying foam at intervals to prevent reignition and to keep the tanks cool and limit vapors. By the evening of 17 August the flames and the smoke plume were gone. One local report put the end of the fire at 7:37 p.m., nearly 12 hours after it began.
No injuries were reported. Nearby residents were advised to shelter in place, and the recommendation was lifted at around 2 p.m.; one report mentioned that nearby homes and businesses were evacuated as a precaution. Officials said the site has double dikes to keep water and foam from leaving the facility, and cleanup continued in the following days. The official cause had not been confirmed in the reports.
What this case shows. The Glenpool fire shows that the work does not end when the flames go out: crews kept applying foam at intervals for hours to prevent reignition and limit vapors, and double dikes were in place to keep water and foam on site. Readers who want to know how the FoamFatale system approaches a storage tank fire will find the principle and the application described under details of operation.
Sources: KJRH, News9, KGOU, Insurance Journal, PGJ Online.