W.Va. gas well explosion send flames 70 feet high

[Redress]

The Associated Press: W.Va. gas well explosion send flames 70 feet high

AP 12 pm
A crew drilling a natural gas well through an abandoned coal mine in West Virginia's Northern Panhandle hit a pocket of methane gas that somehow ignited, triggering an explosion that burned seven workers, a state inspector said Monday.

The blast created a column of flame at least 70 feet high, and it will likely burn until a team of well fire experts can reach the scene to extinguish it, said Bill Hendershot, an inspector with the Department of Environmental Protection's Office of Oil and Gas.

Hope the people hurt will be ok.

 

[Tucker Case]

Where's Obama in all of this!?!?!?! He needs to fix this NOW! His response has been too slow!


Sorry, couldn't resist. :lol:

I hope those who were injured will be OK as well.

 

[Redress]

What is odd is that I looked for this story since it was on TV atm, but this is the wrong story for the one I saw reported. The story for the one on TV is here: North Texas Gas Well Explosion

A gas well explosion in North Texas is sending enormous flames and plumes of smoke into the sky.

The fire broke out at about 3 p.m. at 2101 County Road 1120 in Hood County, south of Fort Worth.

The blaze consists of flames hundreds of feet high and can be seen from at least 30 miles away. Additionally, Sky 4 helicopter pilot Mike Warner said it was so intense he could feel the heat from nearly a mile away.

So apparently, there has been 2 gas fires today.

 

[Tucker Case]

What is odd is that I looked for this story since it was on TV atm, but this is the wrong story for the one I saw reported. The story for the one on TV is here: North Texas Gas Well Explosion



So apparently, there has been 2 gas fires today.

Teh one in texas seems worse as it is reporting fatalities and missing persons. My thoughts go out to the families of the people who have died and are missing.

 

[apdst]

Sure are alotta well blowouts and plant explosions lately. Hmmm!!

 

[jujuman13]

Think the explosion on the 36" transportation Pipeline in Texas may have been caused by a construction team working at that location.
Apparently 3 people are reported dead thus far, not sure if everyone has been accounted for at moment.

 

[Redress]

Think the explosion on the 36" transportation Pipeline in Texas may have been caused by a construction team working at that location.
Apparently 3 people are reported dead thus far, not sure if everyone has been accounted for at moment.

I hate the thought of people dying in industrial accidents. I just get the vision of them kidding the spouse and kids goodbye, no one thinking anything of it, and then the phone call explaining the death, coming out of nowhere. It's true of most accidental deaths, but at work just seems worse for some reason.

 

[RyrineaHaruno]

Reddress here is the report of the one in W.V Fire from W.Va. gas well blast will burn 2-3 days - Yahoo! News

I do wonder thought, if this might be a sign that we should switch too different methods of energy....

 

[jujuman13]

I hate the thought of people dying in industrial accidents. I just get the vision of them kidding the spouse and kids goodbye, no one thinking anything of it, and then the phone call explaining the death, coming out of nowhere. It's true of most accidental deaths, but at work just seems worse for some reason.

Latest report says no deaths. But 1 Man still unaccounted for.
Quote(An explosion at a natural gas facility in Texas has reportedly injured at least six people.

Earlier reports said three people had been killed in the blast near Cleburne, 50 miles (80km) from Dallas.

But Jack Snow, the local emergency management co-ordinator, said there were no confirmed fatalities, although one worker was unaccounted for.

Initial reports indicated the fire began when a construction team struck the pipeline.

TV footage showed a large orange fireball burning near a charred vehicle at the facility.

Residents several miles away described hearing a loud rumbling, which they initially mistook for thunder.

Enterprise Products Partners said it owned the 36-inch gas transportation pipeline, according to Reuters news agency. )

 

[Lord Tammerlain]

Sure are alotta well blowouts and plant explosions lately. Hmmm!!

Given the high level of drilling going on in the US for shale gas I expect that alot of rather inexperienced people are taking part in drilling activities in the US. Less experience means higher chances for accidents to occur. Or in the case of BP, it is being too cheap to enforce generally standard safety proticalssp(sp)

 

[jujuman13]

Given the high level of drilling going on in the US for shale gas I expect that alot of rather inexperienced people are taking part in drilling activities in the US. Less experience means higher chances for accidents to occur. Or in the case of BP, it is being too cheap to enforce generally standard safety proticalssp(sp)

This particular Pipeline is a 36" Transportation line, it has nothing to do with drilling in shale.
Quote about blast in Texas(Authorities found the missing worker's body several hours after the explosion, once searchers could safely walk through the entire charred area. Authorities had hoped the missing man had left the scene on his own, like some of his colleagues who drove themselves to hospitals.

Brian Fine, Hood County's emergency management coordinator, said the worker's body was found some distance from the blast site. The man's name was not immediately released.

The worker had been riding a truck drilling holes for utility poles when the line suddenly exploded, and other workers lost sight of him in the intense smoke, said Roger Harmon, Johnson County's top elected official.)

As you can see from the above, work was ongoing with respect to digging / drilling holes for utility poles.
Now regarding this type of work, every Pipeline should be comprehensively marked on a map, these Utility or contract workers should have had access to that map and the operators of the Pipeline should have had one of their personel standing by to ensure that the holes being drilled were not going to impact the Pipeline.
It is mormal that work is forbidden within a certain distance from a pipeline so as to forestall any possible incident.