Fires and explosions are among the most terrifying and devastating events in the oilfield. They can happen in seconds — a gas leak that ignites, a wellhead blowout, a frac tank fire, a separator explosion, or a flash fire from a natural gas release — and the injuries they cause are among the most painful and permanently disabling any person can endure. Severe burns, traumatic blast injuries, inhalation injuries, and disfigurement can change a worker's life forever. If you survived a fire or explosion on a Texas oilfield job site, you need to know that the law may entitle you to far more compensation than your employer is offering.
Edward T. Garza has represented Texas oilfield workers for over 50 years, including victims of the most serious fire and explosion cases. These accidents are rarely random — they are almost always the result of multiple failures: ignored hazards, poor equipment maintenance, absent or inadequate safety training, production pressure that overrode common sense, and equipment that should never have been in service. We investigate all of it, and we build cases that hold every responsible company accountable.
Our offices in San Antonio and Midland serve injured workers throughout Texas, including the Permian Basin, where oilfield fire and explosion risks are ever-present in one of the most active oil and gas producing regions in the world. If you cannot travel to us, we will come to you.
Key Facts About Fire & Explosion Injuries in Texas
The U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board (CSB) has investigated multiple fatal oilfield fire and explosion incidents in Texas, consistently finding that inadequate hazard analysis, poor maintenance, and pressure to meet production targets were root causes — not worker error.
Burn injuries sustained in oilfield fires are frequently undervalued in early insurance negotiations. Full-thickness burns often require multiple surgeries, months of rehabilitation, permanent disfigurement, and ongoing psychological treatment — costs that can reach millions of dollars over a lifetime.
Flash fires from natural gas or hydrocarbon vapor ignition are particularly common during flowback operations and tank gauging. OSHA has specifically cited open-top tank gauging and thief-hatching without vapor recovery as an industry-wide hazard with a well-documented pattern of worker fatalities.
Texas law recognizes gross negligence as a basis for exemplary (punitive) damages in cases involving oilfield fires and explosions. When a company knew of a dangerous condition — a faulty pressure relief valve, a leaking gas line, disabled fire suppression — and consciously disregarded it, exemplary damages may be available on top of all other compensation.
Equipment defects frequently contribute to oilfield fires and explosions. Faulty pressure relief valves, defective separators, improperly designed frac tanks, and defective electrical systems can all give rise to product liability claims against manufacturers that are separate from and in addition to your negligence claim against the operator.
Common Questions About Fire & Explosion Injuries
My injuries are permanent. How do courts value burn injuries and disfigurement?
Texas juries can award compensation for past and future medical expenses (including reconstructive surgery), physical pain and suffering, mental anguish, physical impairment, disfigurement, and lost earning capacity — all of which can be substantial in serious burn cases. Disfigurement and impairment are standalone categories of damages in Texas, meaning you can recover for them even after all medical bills are paid. There is no cap on these damages in personal injury cases against non-healthcare defendants.
My employer says the fire was caused by another worker's mistake. Does that matter?
An employer cannot escape liability simply by blaming a co-worker. Under Texas law, an employer is responsible for the negligent acts of its employees acting within the scope of their employment. Additionally, if the root cause was inadequate training, faulty equipment, or a culture of ignoring safety protocols, the employer's own negligence is the real issue — a co-worker's mistake is just the last link in the chain.
Can I pursue a claim for psychological trauma, not just physical injuries?
Yes. Mental anguish is a recognized category of damages in Texas personal injury law. Post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety, depression, and other psychological conditions caused by a traumatic oilfield fire or explosion can be compensated. We work with mental health professionals to properly document and value these non-physical harms.
The oil company is claiming the fire was an 'Act of God.' Is that a valid defense?
Rarely in practice. Acts of God defenses apply to truly unforeseeable natural events, not to industrial accidents that result from equipment failure, gas release, or ignition sources that a competent operator should have identified and controlled. In virtually every oilfield fire or explosion case we have seen, a proper investigation reveals human and systemic failures that negate this defense.
You Don't Have to Figure This Out Alone
When you hire The Garza Law Firm, we guide you through every step of the legal process so you can focus on what matters most — your recovery.
Immediate Free Consultation
We speak with you or your family as soon as possible after the incident. If you are hospitalized, we will come to you. Time is critical in fire and explosion cases because evidence can be disturbed quickly.
Scene Preservation and Expert Deployment
We work to preserve the accident scene and deploy fire investigation experts, petroleum engineers, and process safety engineers immediately to document physical evidence before it is cleaned up, altered, or destroyed.
Cause and Origin Investigation
Our experts conduct an independent cause-and-origin investigation to identify every technical failure — equipment defect, process design flaw, or safety system failure — that contributed to the fire or explosion, building a foundation for your case.
Medical Team Coordination
We work alongside your burn care team and rehabilitation specialists to ensure every aspect of your treatment, recovery, and long-term prognosis is thoroughly documented. We bring in independent medical and life-care planning experts to project your full future medical needs.
Gross Negligence and Punitive Damages Analysis
We evaluate whether the responsible parties had prior knowledge of the hazard and consciously ignored it, which can support a claim for exemplary damages under Texas Civil Practice and Remedies Code Chapter 41.
Full Litigation Through Trial
Fire and explosion cases deserve the full resources of a firm committed to trial. We pursue every dollar of compensation you are entitled to, through settlement if it is fair and to a jury verdict if it is not. Edward Garza's decades of courtroom experience mean the defendants know we are serious.
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Contact The Garza Law Firm today for a free, no-obligation consultation. There is no fee unless we win.
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