Hydraulic line rupture sparked Washington County drill site fire
A ruptured hydraulic line ignited a fire at a Washington County gas drilling site, a Range Resources spokesman said Thursday.
No one was injured in the fire Wednesday evening at the company's Jeffries drilling location off Ross Road in North Strabane.
It likely will take at least a few weeks
before more detailed information is available, Range Resources spokesman
Matt Pitzarella said.
“There are many hydraulic lines on locations, which is part of what we're investigating,” Pitzarella said.
The state Department of Environmental Protection is investigating, agency spokesman John Poister said.
“We believe there were some factors there
that need to be further explained,” Poister said. “We want to look for
ways to make sure something like this doesn't happen again.”
The state investigation will determine whether any violations occurred. There is no timetable for a determination.
“They were very fortunate that there was
nothing more that happened,” Poister said. “Anytime you have a fire on a
well pad, it's a serious matter.”
The fire started about 5:15 p.m. and burned
engine oil and plastic liners used to protect the environment from
pollutants. Range Resources personnel and firefighters extinguished it
within an hour by using a special foam designed to snuff out oil and
grease fires.
The gas well, which is not in production, did not catch fire. No homes were evacuated.
“Range has a good protocol for dealing with fires,” Poister said.