By Zack Stovall
Arkansas News Bureau

LITTLE ROCK — Officials worked Wednesday to determine the cause of an explosion that killed three workers at a fuel storage site south of Searcy.

White County coroner David Powell identified the victims of Tuesday’s blast as contract workers Roy Mathis, 60, and Stoney Powell, 45, both of Wheatfield, Ind., and William Decker, 48, of Scottsburg, Ind.

The three were cleaning an emptied gas storage tank, preparing it for new equipment, when the tank exploded just before 2:30 p.m. No one else was injured and emergency officials did not evacuate the area around the site owned by TEPPCO Partners L.P.

Powell said Wednesday there were no signs of fire involved in the deaths. A concussion sustained during the explosion likely was the cause of death, he said.

The bodies were sent to the state medical examiner’s office for autopsy, Powell said.

“They’ll hopefully release something in the next couple of days,” he said. “They’ll make a determination as to the cause of death without the (toxicology) report, then use the report to support it.”

TEPPCO spokesman Rick Rainey said Wednesday the investigation into the cause of the explosion was still in the “very early stages.”

“At this point, we are just supporting the federal agencies overseeing the investigation, such as OSHA and the Department of Transportation,” Rainey said.

“It’d be premature at this time to determine what the exact cause is yet,” Rainey said. “We’re dedicating resources to providing support for those who are investigating.”

White County is part of the Fayetteville Shale play, a vast area of natural gas exploration across northern Arkansas.