The Bartlesville Fire Department is sharing additional information following Tuesday night’s fire at Blue Whale Materials in the Bartlesville Industrial Park.
The incident, which began around 9:17 p.m. on April 14 in an outdoor battery storage area south of the main facility, was quickly contained by responding crews.
No injuries were reported, and the fire did not extend beyond the storage area.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation by BFD, which is standard procedure, and the City is aware that the Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality has been contacted about the incident. ODEQ is the state agency responsible for environmental testing and determining whether additional monitoring is needed.
Fire Chief H.C. Call emphasized that the department trains and prepares for potential incidents such as these.
“Our crews responded as they were trained to do, and their quick actions kept the fire confined to the outdoor storage area where it started,” Call said.
Call also addressed community concerns about public safety.
“We understand that incidents like this raise questions in the community,” Call said. “We are grateful that evacuations were not necessary during this event. Had that been the case, the City would have followed the appropriate protocol and coordinated with Washington County Emergency Management to inform the public, including with the new mass notification system, which is a partnership between the City and the County.”
Residents may sign up for that notification system here or by downloading the Regroup Mobile App (Use this code: c1bfb3e873).
Assisting agencies included Oglesby Fire Department, Dewey Fire Department, Ochelata Fire Department, Washington County Fire Department, Bartlesville Police Department, Washington County Sheriff's Office, Washington County Emergency Management, and Bartlesville Ambulance (standing by).
“Our region’s emergency responders train together for exactly these kinds of situations,” Call said. “That coordination was evident Tuesday night. Every agency that responded contributed to keeping the public safe and supporting our firefighters on scene.”
The City of Bartlesville will evaluate the effectiveness of the safety systems that are already in place, and if necessary, work with Blue Whale to develop additional safeguards and response measures to best ensure the public’s safety.
For more information about Blue Whale, visit the company’s website.
For more information about air or water quality, contact the ODEQ.