BISMARCK — Blizzard conditions in western North Dakota last week led to a fire on an oil field site and the release of more than 100,000 gallons of highly concentrated saltwater.

McKenzie Energy Partners told North Dakota industry regulators that extreme weather contributed to the incident on their salt water disposal site near Keene in McKenzie County on Wednesday, April 13. A fire caused well pad tanks to leak over 100,000 gallons of produced water and around 2,100 gallons of oil, according to an incident report filed by the company.

Produced water, or brine, is a highly saturated saltwater that is a byproduct of oil and gas production. Typically the waste stream is injected down disposal wells back into the earth, but can damage soil and impair crop production when it spills.

Weather conditions prevented the Watford City-based company from reaching the site and inspecting damages immediately. Recovery and cleanup had not yet begun when McKenzie Energy Partners reported the incident on Friday, though emergency responders were able to reach the location, shut off power and douse the fire with water and foam.

Spilled contaminants were contained to the well site. Hot spots and burning oil may have persisted on the well pad beyond the time of reporting, the company said. The fire did not result in any injuries.

Separately, close to 17,000 gallons of crude oil spilled Saturday on a well pad operated by Colorado-based company Ovintiv south of Mandaree. The contaminant was contained to the well pad, and about a quarter has been recovered, the company said.

A state inspector will monitor the clean-up required at both sites, the Department of Mineral Resources said.

Readers can reach Forum reporter Adam Willis, a Report for America corps member, at awillis@forumcomm.com.

Correction: a previous version of this story reported that the site of the oil field fire last week was an oil well pad. The fire occurred at a salt water disposal well.