About Two Dozen People Killed or Injured in Two Separate Gas Explosions in West Virginia and Texas
Early Monday morning an explosion at a West Virginia natural gas well injured seven workers, who were taken to Pittsburgh hospital.
“A spokeswoman for one of the companies involved in the well, Texas-based Chief Oil & Gas, says that a rig firefighting company will move damaged equipment out of the way while the fire burns.” AP reported.
“The explosion happened about 1:30 a.m. in a rural area outside Moundsville, about 55 miles southwest of Pittsburgh. A column of fire shot at least 70 feet high, but the flames fell to 40 feet within hours. Gas continued to burn late Monday afternoon.”
About 98 percent of drilling in the region now involves Marcellus shale, authorities say.
Several hours later, a major gas explosion in a Texas gas pipeline killed at least three people, and injured up to a dozen more. Officials said the gas line was struck with a mechanical digger.
A 36-inch natural gas line exploded in Johnson County, Texas. Image Credit: COURTNEY PERRY/DMN. Image may be subject to copyright. See Fire-earth Fair Use Notice.
“My whole building was shaking,” Carolyn Black, who lives about five miles away from the explosion site was reported as saying. “It sounded like someone landing a big Jumbo 747 in the backyard.”
“A lot is going to depend on where the main valves are that control that section of line,” said Cleburne city manager Chester Nolen.
“Obviously, what’s in the line is going to have to burn off before they can get it shut off.
“So it may be late into this evening when they get the fire controlled.”
It could take several hours to bring the fire under control, he said.
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