A "well containment event"
An oil well on Chesapeake’s Combs Ranch 29 site catches fire Sept. 6 and continues to burn this week.
Posted: Wednesday, September 9, 2015
Kasey M. Orr
DOUGLAS, WYOMING
The tips of the stories-tall flames of an oil-well fire at Chesapeake’s Combs Ranch 29 location three miles northeast of Douglas could still be seen from miles around Tuesday afternoon — more than 48 hours after it began.
The blaze began with what Chesapeake Operating, LLC officials are still only referring to as a “well control event.” Just after midday Sunday, emergency responders, including Converse County sheriff’s deputies and Douglas volunteer firefighters, were called to the location, but Chesapeake almost immediately began to deploy its own people to handle the fire and the potential for a grass fire around the well head.
Chesapeake spokesman Gordon Pennoyer said in a press release Monday that monitors were in the air and well-control specialists from Boots & Coots International had joined the teams on the ground and were “working with emergency responders to extinguish the fire.” The company repeated often Sunday and Monday that no injuries or fatalities had occurred.
By noon on Monday, all local units had been relieved by Chesapeake teams and were confirmed out of the danger area by the sheriff’s office.
Boots & Coots, which continued to fight the fire as of early this week, is a company name reaching back to the early days of well-fire fighting or “hellfighting” from back in the days of legendary Paul “Red” Adair in the 1950s.
The process of extinguishing a well fire is a dangerous one and can take anywhere from days to weeks, depending on the size.
The Douglas Country Club restaurant was been enlisted to cater food to the teams on the site, and employees said Monday they had been asked to be prepared to serve breakfast, lunch and dinner for at least the following three days.
Whether three days was Chesapeake’s initial estimate to extinguish the blaze or if that includes providing for accident investigation and cleanup crews after the fire is out is unclear, as Chesapeake officials on the ground are still unwilling to comment beyond the information in press releases.
Residents were alarmed on Sunday evening when many reported hearing a loud boom coming from the site at around 7:30 p.m. The flames, which had previously only been a few stories in height, leapt up more than a hundred feet into the air, towering into the sky and lighting up the night.
By Monday morning, the flames had returned to their original height, where they have remained ever since.
As of Tuesday afternoon, Chesapeake had still not offered a new update as to the status of the blaze, an explanation of the explosion heard Sunday night, or any information as to how the fire may have started in the first place.
Company press releases have continued to simply call it a “well containment event.”
It is not unusual, however, for energy companies like Chesapeake to guard information during situations like this with legal teams often concerned about possible litigation.
In a statement Monday afternoon, Converse County Sheriff Clint Becker noted that this fire has not spread to any other area.
“The fire is self-contained at the site due to the large area of the gravel base and safety barriers/berms that are required during the initial construction at these locations,” he said.
He concluded by saying, “I am certain that once the proper equipment and personnel arrive, it will only be a matter of time before this issue is resolved.”
In the meantime, updates and further information will continue to be updated at www.douglas-budget.com and on our Facebook page.
Here is some info on the well location:
Converse County, WY
Rig Number 316
Contractor: Nomac Drilling
Operator: Chesapeake Operating
Well# and Name: 29-33-70C 2H/Combs Ranch
Sec Twp Rng: 33N 70W SEC 29
Depth: 11646
Date Spud: 04/23/13
Combs Ranch
201 Combs Road
Douglas, WY 82633