Three men were killed Monday in an oilfield accident west of El Dorado, Ark., when there was an explosion as they were taking apart an old oil containment vessel, according to the Magnolia Reporter.
The fatal accident is under investigation, but authorities suspect that the victims died when they accidentally ignited oil fumes in the vessel, the newspaper reported. The men, whose names had not been released, worked for Long Brothers Oil Co. of Norphlet.
The accident took place at an oil well, no longer in use, roughly three miles north of U.S. 82, west of El Dorado.
Following the explosion, fire fanned out into woods near the site. Responders put out the fire in the oil vessel, while the Arkansas Forestry Commission extinguished the fire in the woods, according to the Magnolia Reporter.
The explosion Monday came on the heels of another blast about a week before, at the El Dorado Chemical facility. That explosion was so powerful that it actually shook thousands of residents awake.
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