Fire erupts at Greene Co. oil well
Fire erupted at a producing oil well in Greene County Tuesday, although no one was injured and the blaze was extinguished without harming any workers or the well.
Emergency crews responded to the Energy Corp. oil well in Jackson Township about 11 a.m. when a two-inch pipeline pumping oil from a holding tank to a tanker truck caught fire and exploded, state Department of Environmental Protection spokesman John Poister said.
DEP investigators think a pump on the holding tank failed, causing the fire. About 10 gallons of oil leaked from pad located at 841 Long Run Road, Poister said, although crews were able to keep it from reaching a nearby creek.
Volunteer firefighters from New Freeport and Center Township were able to quickly control the blaze and shut off the pump valve in the oil line, Poister said. No one was injured and the tanker truck driver was able to move the vehicle immediately after the fire began.
“You could see smoke from a distance and I think people were concerned,” Poister said. “The fire was contained to the tank, but it was smoky, so you could see if for miles.”
Poister said the public was never in danger and an environmental crew was on scene to clean up the “small amount” of oil that leaked from the tank. He said the biggest concern besides the fire was heavy rain in the area Tuesday afternoon that made it more difficult for hazardous material crews to contain the leak.
An earlier report that the fire occurred at a conventional natural gas well was incorrect.
A DEP inspector was sent to the site shortly after the fire was reported and is investigating the accident. Poister said the company likely will receive a notice of violation, but it was too early to determine what exactly ignited the fire.