FOUR INJURED IN DODDRIDGE OIL TANK EXPLOSION - One Reported Dead

(05/28/2018)
5/27/2018 - Little information regarding the name of the company, what happened, and workers who were affected in a Doddridge well explosion last Friday.

A Clarksburg TV station reports at least one person is dead from an explosion in Doddridge County on Friday, saying the Medical Examiner's Office identified the victim as Barry Lattea, 51, from Weston. He passed away on Saturday at 11:30 a.m. The reports states that Lattea was unresponsive at UPMC Mercy due to the gas explosion.

5/27/2018 -Few details were available Saturday regarding tank explosions and the injury of four workers life-flighted from the Doddridge County oil-gas site.

The name of the company involved or the individuals injured have not been released.

The State Department of Environmental Protection has provided further details on what caused an explosion in Doddridge. The department says the explosion did not happen on a well pad, and that the well tanks were moved to 145 White Hair Lane to be cleaned and cut up for scrap using a type of torch.

Officials say it seems that remnants of materials were still in the well tanks at the time, igniting the explosion.

Officials did say that the explosion caused the subsequent fire and explosion of a nearby truck.

Reports on the names or condition of the victims was not available.

The WVDEP says as a result of the explosion, materials spilled into a nearby stream.