Oil tanks explode in Dreyer community

Fire departments from Gonzales, Lavaca and DeWitt counties responded to an explosion at an oil tank facility on Farm-to-Market Road 443 near the county line in the Dreyer community at just before 9 a.m. Thursday, Nov. 21.

It took first responders several hours to get the blaze at 3743 FM 443, which has a Shiner address, under control, but fortunately, no injuries were reported, said Gonzales County Emergency Management Coordinator and Fire Marshal Jimmy Harless.

“A set of old oil field tanks had ignited, probably by static electricity, whereby it caused an explosion of two of the tanks,” Harless told the Inquirer. “The tanks did have some oil residue inside them. Nobody was around the site when this occurred.”

Harless said a decision was made to “wait for the fire to burn down until we approached because of another possible explosion with the remaining three tanks.”

The owner of the tank batteries is Crescent Energy and it is located just inside the Gonzales County line. Firefighters from Gonzales Fire, Shiner VFD and Yoakum Fire were all on scene, Harless said.