Explosion, Fire Injures 3 At Groendyke Transport

At approximately 2:30pm an explosion occurred in the wash bay area of Groendyke Transport on south Highway 83 near Liberal. 3 workers were in the bay at the time of the accident and were taken to Southwest Medical Center with 2nd and 3rd degree burns. They were later life flighted to Via Christi – St. Francis in Wichita in critical but stable condition. Emergency personell cordoned off a half mile either side of the facility and rerouted traffic, for fear of additional explosions. The highway was reopened at approximately 4:30pm. Initially fire crews went in to fight the fire, then backed out due to safety concerns and the nature of the blaze. When it was deemed safe, Seward County Fire Department applied foam to the fire and quickly extinguished what was left burning. Emergency personell and employees of Groendyke remained on scence for safety measures. The building suffered structural damage and one tanker was damaged as well. The cause of the explosion is unkown at this time, and the State Fire Marshall has been called in to assist in the investigation. On official report will be forthcoming from Seward County.