JULY 15, 2015
West Franklin, PA
Two EQT workers were hurt Wednesday
afternoon when a backhoe hit a high pressure gas line and caused an
explosion at a compression station on Fox Road in West Franklin.
Worthington-West Franklin Assistant Fire
Chief Fred Neal said the fire caused by the explosion was out and gas at
the station had been turned off by 3 p.m. The gas compression site is
owned by Snyder Brothers, an East Franklin oil and gas producer.
“Once we got the gas turned off, we were able to get the fire under control quickly,” Neal said.
EQT's Linda Robertson would not name the
injured workers, but said the backhoe driver suffered burns when the
vehicle caught fire after striking the gas line. A second employee
suffered minor burns attempting to help the backhoe driver, she said.
“They were working to clear a right-of-way
when they hit the line,” the spokeswoman for the Pittsburgh natural gas
producer said. “Everything is very preliminary, but we're investigating
to determine exactly what happened.”
The backhoe driver was taken by medical
helicopter to a Pittsburgh hospital. The other worker was taken to ACMH
Hospital in East Franklin for treatment, Robertson said.
The explosion happened on land owned by Merle Fox, 60, of 290 Fox Road, who was home when the line exploded.
“It just made a very big bang ... that's all I know", Fox said.