Saturday afternoon, a large fire engulfed the natural gas plant in Medford, a small town in northern Oklahoma. Social media video showed smoke and heavy flames billowing hundreds of yards into the air.
According to ONEOK spokespersons, the fire took place at a natural gas liquids fractionation plant.
ONEOK stated that it was not aware of any injuries.
Grant County Sheriff's Office reported that all residents living within two miles of the plant were asked by the Sheriff to evacuate immediately. Although the exact number of evacuated residents was not known, Medford, which has a population estimated at 930, is according to U.S. Census data.
Brittany Stone and Michael captured this video of an explosive incident in Medford, Oklahoma near the Kansas border. This gas plant fire caused evacuations and road closures #KWCH12 pic.twitter.com/V8Cy8FbYfM
According to the sheriff's office, ONEOK had arranged temporary housing for evacuees in several hotels in Enid, Oklahoma.
Authorities have not provided any details about what caused the fire.
"Our focus continues to work with emergency responders in extinguishing the fire and the safety surrounding the community and our employees," ONEOK stated in a statement.
Medford is about 15 miles from the Oklahoma-Kansas frontier. ONEOK's headquarters is in Tulsa.
