Oct. 08--SAN ANTONIO -- An oil well explosion just before 5 a.m. Tuesday morning in Karnes County has injured at least one person and temporarily closed a highway, the Karnes County Sheriff's Office said.
The sheriff's office said the blast occurred in the town of Gillett, and confirmed that one man was flown to an area hospital for medical treatment. Authorities did not release the man's name, disclose the actual condition of the man and also did not elaborate on the nature of the injuries. The cause of the explosion is not known.
As of Tuesday morning, several surrounding fire departments were assisting in containing the scene. The sheriff's office reported at least four fire departments were on scene, but did not indicate if the area was fully contained or if there still was any type of threat to the area. Highway 80 from Gillett between Highway 119 and Nixon was shut down as a precaution as fire departments work the blast site.
According to Karnes County officials, the area where the blast took place is relatively rural, and no houses were damaged in the explosion. No spokesperson was readily available from the fire departments, which are all volunteer units, according to Karnes County, because everyone was occupied at the blast.
Gillett is about 50 miles southeast of San Antonio. The county has a population of 14,964 as of 2011 according to the website City Data. Official numbers were not available because of government websites being inoperable.
Both sheriff and county officials expect more information to be released by Tuesday afternoon.
Check mySA for details on this developing story.
Copyright 2013 - San Antonio Express-News
