Workers Injured in Pa. Blast
Chesapeake says three hurt as tanks on top of well burn in
Washington County
Wheeling WV Intelligencer
24 February 2011
By Casey Junkins
AVELLA, Pa.- An explosion ignited natural gas liquids storage tanks at
a Chesapeake Energy well site in Avella, Pa., around 6:15 p.m.
Wednesday, hospitalizing three contract employees with burn-related
injuries.
Chesapeake media relations specialist Jacque Bland said the cause of
the "flash fire" was still under investigation late Wednesday. She said
the resulting blaze does not pose a danger to area residents or
threaten the environment.
Many area fire departments responded to the scene, including some from
Brooke County, emergency officials noted.
An official from Texas-based Boots & Coots International Well
Control Inc. - the firm Chesapeake generally employs to extinguish gas
well fires - was unaware of the fire late Wednesday.
Natural gas liquids include byproducts found in the gas gathered in
much of northern West Virginia and western Pennsylvania. These
materials include ethane, propane, butane and pentane, which are pulled
away from the methane, or "natural gas," in gas processing facilities.
Recently, there has been much discussion in the Northern Panhandle
regarding the potential value of natural gas liquids. Bayer would like
to bring an ethane cracking plant to the Upper Ohio Valley. The
"cracker" plant would process ethane, turning it into ethylene for use
in plastics.
Caiman Energy, MarkWest Liberty and Dominion Transmission are also
processing, or planning to process, natural gas liquids at facilities
in Marshall and Wetzel counties.
Although this accident involves NGL tanks, it is not the tri-state
area's first gas-related accident. An AB Resources well about 6 miles
south of Moundsville exploded in June.
A Chesapeake well on Pleasants Ridge near Cameron ignited in September.
There have also been numerous traffic accidents involving gas rigs
being transported on narrow roads.