Fort Worth man among 5 presumed dead in Oklahoma gas well explosion

A Fort Worth man is among five missing and presumed dead after a gas well exploded near the town of Quinton, Oklahoma, Monday.

Josh Ray, 35, is a directional driller at Phoenix Technology Services, according to his Facebook profile.

The five men still missing were working Monday on a new natural gas well about 150 miles east of Oklahoma City when it blew out, causing a fire that toppled the drilling rig's derrick.

"We have moved from rescue to recovery," Chris Moore, Pittsburg County (Okla.) sheriff, said Tuesday. "We are waiting for the scene to be cooled down and stabilized for the investigation to continue."

The cause of the explosion isn't clear, The Associated Press reported.

Oklahoma state authorities are investigating whether any regulations were broken leading to the explosion. The federal Occupational Health and Safety Administration has also opened an investigation.

Seventeen other employees escaped, one with minor injuries.

The well was being drilled by Houston-based contractor Patterson-UTI Drilling Co., for Red Mountain Energy, an Oklahoma-based producer.

"Like you — the public and the media— we want to know the cause of this horrible event," Tony Say, president of Red Mountain Energy, said at a press conference. "Our staff is absolutely devastated. This is the first time we've ever encountered anything like this."

The medical examiner's office has not investigated the deaths, as it also is waiting for the scene to be declared safe.

Matthew Martinez: 817-390-7667; @MCTinez817

This story was originally published January 23, 2018 at 3:50 PM with the headline "Fort Worth man among 5 presumed dead in Oklahoma gas well explosion."