Chickasha Businessman Pleads Guilty to Illegal Hand Sanitizer Dumping That Triggered Seven Fires

A Chickasha businessman named Brannan Bordwine made a decision that turned a disposal problem into a public safety crisis. In 2021, he began burying recalled hand sanitizer at his property on Pikes Peak Road in Grady County without obtaining any permits from the EPA or the State of Oklahoma. The sanitizer he was burying had already been recalled because it failed to meet the 60% alcohol content standard required for effectiveness as a disinfectant. More critically, the product was classified as hazardous waste because of its low flammability threshold, below 150 degrees Fahrenheit.

Between August 2022 and November 2023, the consequences of Bordwine’s actions became impossible to ignore. Seven fires erupted at locations where the contaminated hand sanitizer was stored and disposed of. One fire was so intense it blew the lids off manhole covers at the municipal sewer lines, a stark reminder of just how dangerous these fires were. Federal prosecutors and the Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality stepped in with an investigation that led to Bordwine’s guilty plea to felony charges.

Now Bordwine faces federal sentencing on July 31, 2026, in Oklahoma City. Financially, this mistake is going to cost him dearly: $400,000 in federal penalties plus an additional $275,000 owed to the Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality. He’s also required to complete cleanup efforts and maintain perimeter fencing around his properties. For anyone wondering what happens when businesses ignore environmental regulations, this case provides a clear and expensive answer. Have you ever questioned where recalled or expired products should actually go? That’s exactly why these disposal rules exist.