UPDATE:
WATFORD CITY, N.D. — One worker has died and three were injured in a fire at a McKenzie County oil well site over the weekend, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration said Monday.Crews were working on a workover rig on a well east of Watford City when the well ignited about 8:30 a.m. Saturday, said Eric Brooks, director of the Bismarck area OSHA office.An employee of Most Wanted Well Service died, Brooks said, declining to identify the worker until family has been notified.
Two workers suffered third-degree burns on 70 percent of their bodies and the third worker suffered burns to the face, Brooks said, citing initial reports.
Workers from multiple employers were at the site owned by XTO Energy, Brooks said.
OSHA has launched an investigation and an inspector will be at the site today, Brooks said.
Alison Ritter, spokeswoman for the Department of Mineral Resources, said crews were working on a well that had recently been fracked when the well "experienced a kick of gas" on Saturday morning.
This is the second oil and gas fatality in North Dakota in 2016, Brooks said.
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UPDATE:A spokesperson for North Dakota's Oil and Gas Division says the explosion occurred at a well site operated by XTO Energy. XTO Energy merged with Exxon Mobile Corporation in 2010. The spokesperson says maintenance was being done on the site and the explosion happened on a workover rig.
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Oil Accident Leaves One Man Dead
Posted: Jun 20, 2016 8:33 PM EST Updated: Jun 20, 2016 8:33 PM EST
NORTH DAKOTA
One man was killed and three others were injured, two critically, in an oil well explosion near Watford City Saturday.
The McKenzie County Sheriff's Department says 52-year-old Johnny Stassinos of Rock Springs, Wyoming, died Saturday afternoon from injuries suffered that morning at a well site operated by XTO Energy Inc. east of Watford City.
28-year-old Daniel Montes of Fruita, Colorado, and 27-year-old Richard Maheu of Rock Springs, Wyoming, were airlifted to the Regions Burn Center in St. Paul, Minnesota, where they were listed in critical condition.
Authorities say 40-year-old Justin Pyle of Grand Junction, Colorado, was treated for minor injuries at a Watford City hospital and later released.
XTO Energy is a subsidiary of Exxon Mobil.
A spokeswoman says the men were contractors working for companies that do maintenance on oil wells when the explosion happened.
The North Dakota OSHA office says that they are investigating the cause of the explosion. They have crews en route to the site and will know more information once they conduct their investigation.
OSHA says that it's the first death in the oilfield this year.