Gas well fire in Pa. out; 1 injured, 1 still missing
DILLINER — A natural gas well fire that left one worker hurt and another unaccounted for has gone out, company officials said.
Chevron said the blaze at the well in Dilliner and an adjacent well in Dunkard Township, about 50 miles south of Pittsburgh, was no longer burning as of about 3 p.m. Saturday. Officials said the blaze had been going out intermittently but gas kept hitting a superheated crane left on the pad and reigniting.
Company spokesman Kent Robertson said late Sunday that it’s premature to speculate what caused the flames to go out but “there is not enough fuel being emitted to sustain combustion, and with the cooling of the crane, the ignition source has been removed.”
The crane must be removed, and water tanks that have been installed at the site will be filled and used to cool the well site and equipment so work can be done safely, he said.
State police are handling the investigation of a worker, employed by Houston-based Cameron International, who has been missing since the well erupted into flames Feb. 11, but said Monday that there was no update on the progress of the case.
