UPDATE: Explosion rocks tank battery near Ray Friday; no injuries

RAY, N.D. (KMOT) – UPDATE (12/2/24 at 10 p.m.): State regulators said crude oil and produced water spilled at the site of a fire at a tank battery near Ray Friday, but most has been recovered.

Investigators say nearby residents heard an explosion that rattled some nearby homes around 10:30 a.m. on Nov. 29.

No one was on site at the time, and no injuries were reported.

Fire crews elected to let the fire burn itself out.

According to the North Dakota Oil and Gas Division, Hess, who operates the site, said 420 barrels of crude and 60 barrels of produced water spilled, but all but three of each had been recovered at the time of reporting.

A state inspector has been to the site.

UPDATE (11/30/24 at 6:00 p.m.): A spokesperson for Hess provided the following statement:

“On Friday, November 29, 2024, at approximately 10:40 AM CST, a fire started at the GO-Ron Anderson well pad operated by Hess in Williams County, ND. The fire has been extinguished and no injuries have been reported. Hess is committed to safe and responsible operations. We will remediate damage caused by the fire and investigate the cause of the incident to identify and implement any lessons learned.”

ORIGINAL STORY (11/30/24 at 5:45 p.m.): A tank battery just north of Ray exploded and caught fire Friday morning, though no one was hurt.

Ray Fire Capt. Kasey Knox said they were dispatched around 10:30 a.m. to an explosion and fire at a site roughly five miles north of Ray.

He said four tanks were on fire when they arrived. It’s unknown what caused the explosion. Knox said the operators on site were investigating the cause Saturday morning.

He said there were no personnel on scene at the time of the blast, and no injuries were reported. They decided it was the best course to let the fire burn itself out. He said he lives in the area, and some local residents reported their homes shaking from the explosion.

“I was not home at the time, but my neighbor, half a mile away said he felt his house shake. Talked to numerous other people from around the area. They said the same thing,” said Knox.

Knox said the fire burned itself out Saturday morning, and the site is contained.

Knox said he believes it’s a Hess location. We reached out to a spokesperson with Hess to learn more.