Federal Agency to Investigate Deadly Arkansas Blast

The U.S. Chemical Safety Board has deployed a four-person investigation team to look into an explosion at an abandoned oil well near El Dorado, Ark., that left three workers dead.

Officials say the Long Brothers Oil Company employees were taking apart a metal tank used to hold crude oil when something ignited vapors inside and sparked the blast on May 21. The Union County Sheriff’s office said the following day that the names of those killed hadn’t been released yet.

According to a statement from the Chemical Safety Board, preliminary information indicates the workers were conducting hot work on one of the tanks. Hot work is defined as any burning, cutting, welding or other operation that is capable of initiating fires or explosions.

A telephone listing for the Norphlet-based Long Brothers rang unanswered.