UPDATE: Gas Well Fire Still Burning, Report of Fish Kill Hannibal, Ohio – As of late Monday night, fires were still burning after a gas well explosion Saturday morning which was caused by a malfunction in hydraulic tubing, state and county officials confirmed Monday night. The fire quickly spread to approximately 20 trucks lined along Eisenbarth well pad, causing explosions that resulted in the spewing clouds of black smoke which could be seen for more than 10 miles away. The trucks that caught fire were used in hydraulic fracturing, commonly known as fracking, officials said. Statoil North America operates eight wells on the pad. At the height of the fire, 20 to 25 families that live within a mile of the site were evacuated, according to the Ohio State Highway Patrol. They were allowed to return home late Saturday evening, the OSHP said. Nobody was harmed during the explosion, which occurred around 8:30 a.m. Saturday. Meanwhile, a number of area residents reported the fish kill Monday. Jack Shaner, deputy director of the Ohio Environmental Council, said he has been told that the kill stretched for a few miles. Shaner said he suspects that chemicals used in fracking ran into the creek when firefighters fighting the blaze. “It sounds like it was not just smoke and not just fire, but a major fish kill,” he said. The Ohio Department of Natural Resources learned Monday of the fish kill in Possum Creek, Jason Fallon, an agency spokesman stated in an email. Fallon said he did not have details about the extent of the kill. “I can’t confirm if it’s related to the gas-well fire,” he wrote in an email. Phillip Keevert, director of the Monroe County Emergency Management Agency, confirmed Division of Wildlife agents were inspecting the creek Monday and that a kill occurred. Statoil North America officials could not be reached for comment.
Posted on: Tue, 01 Jul 2014 10:03:55 +0000