The cause of a fire at a natural-gas tank in Weld County that left an employee with second-degree burns on his hands remains under investigation, authorities said Monday.
The fire, which sent up a heavy plume of dark smoke visible for miles, is being investigated by the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration and the Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission.
Those agencies will determine whether any safety regulations were violated and issue a report on their findings, the normal procedure when there is an accident. If there are violations, the violating company could face disciplinary action, said Tricia Beaver, a spokeswoman for the commission.
OSHA investigators were at the scene Monday taking photographs and looking at the equipment, agency spokesman Herb Gibson said.
The tank, operated by EnCana Oil & Gas Inc., caught fire about noon Sunday, forcing the evacuation of 50 people who live near the compressor station.
The company has launched its own inquiry into the fire, but it won’t be complete until investigators can talk to the contractor who was burned.
“Until he is out of the hospital and has had a chance to recover, we won’t be able to do that,” EnCana spokesman Doug Hock said. “We need to talk to him, because he is the only witness out there.”
The family of the man who was burned asked his employer, Hanover Compressor Co., to keep his name confidential, company spokesman Richard Goins said. The man remained at North Colorado Medical Center in Greeley with burns on his hands and scorched hair and beard.
The injured man ran to his vehicle and drove to a nearby home for help. He was flown by helicopter to the hospital.
Residents were allowed to return to their homes about 4 p.m. Sunday.
Staff writer Felisa Cardona can be reached at 303-820-1219 or fcardona@denverpost.com.
