Screengrab from WTRF 7 video showing flames from the fracking well explosion.
Feb 11, 2014
An explosion at a natural gas fracking well in Pennsylvania on Tuesday has sent one person to the hospital, left one person injured and sparked a fire that could take days to contain.
According to a statement from well operator Chevron, the fire broke out at approximately 6:45 Tuesday morning at their well in Dunkard Township in Greene County, about 50 miles south of Pittsburgh.
"We're being told ... the site itself, that fire, will not be contained and we will not have access to that property for at least a few days," Trooper Stefani Plume said at a press conference.
Local ABC affiliate WTAE reports:
[Department of Environmental Protection spokesman John] Poister said Chevron had previously completed drilling and hydraulically fracturing, or fracking, the well and was in the final stages of using steel pipe to hook it up to a pipeline distribution network for production.
Complicating the fire, which continued to burn into the afternoon, was the fact that a propane-holding truck was on the well pad and also exploded, Poister said.
The cause of the explosion has not yet been determined.
A team from Wild Well Control, a company that specializes in dealing with well blowouts, has been called in to assist with the efforts, and state police have set up a half mile perimeter as a safety precaution.
Responding to the incident on Twitter, some environmental voices said the explosion was further evidence fracking should be banned:
\u201cToday's explosion in Pennsylvania once again shows that the hazards of #fracking are unacceptable. https://t.co/PwbbFmlhRG\u201d— Food & Water Watch (@Food & Water Watch) 1392144778
\u201c.@NYGovCuomo see this KDKA photo of #natgas well explosion in PA https://t.co/YB5cANnC43 - ban #fracking!\u201d— Frack Action (@Frack Action) 1392134643
\u201cMore explosions, more spills, when will we learn? - Natural gas well explosion and fire in PA https://t.co/GF9gIRNayg\u201d— Waterkeeper Alliance (@Waterkeeper Alliance) 1392153287
_______________
An Unconstitutional Rampage
Trump and Musk are on an unconstitutional rampage, aiming for virtually every corner of the federal government. These two right-wing billionaires are targeting nurses, scientists, teachers, daycare providers, judges, veterans, air traffic controllers, and nuclear safety inspectors. No one is safe. The food stamps program, Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid are next. It’s an unprecedented disaster and a five-alarm fire, but there will be a reckoning. The people did not vote for this. The American people do not want this dystopian hellscape that hides behind claims of “efficiency.” Still, in reality, it is all a giveaway to corporate interests and the libertarian dreams of far-right oligarchs like Musk. Common Dreams is playing a vital role by reporting day and night on this orgy of corruption and greed, as well as what everyday people can do to organize and fight back. As a people-powered nonprofit news outlet, we cover issues the corporate media never will, but we can only continue with our readers’ support. |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
An explosion at a natural gas fracking well in Pennsylvania on Tuesday has sent one person to the hospital, left one person injured and sparked a fire that could take days to contain.
According to a statement from well operator Chevron, the fire broke out at approximately 6:45 Tuesday morning at their well in Dunkard Township in Greene County, about 50 miles south of Pittsburgh.
"We're being told ... the site itself, that fire, will not be contained and we will not have access to that property for at least a few days," Trooper Stefani Plume said at a press conference.
Local ABC affiliate WTAE reports:
[Department of Environmental Protection spokesman John] Poister said Chevron had previously completed drilling and hydraulically fracturing, or fracking, the well and was in the final stages of using steel pipe to hook it up to a pipeline distribution network for production.
Complicating the fire, which continued to burn into the afternoon, was the fact that a propane-holding truck was on the well pad and also exploded, Poister said.
The cause of the explosion has not yet been determined.
A team from Wild Well Control, a company that specializes in dealing with well blowouts, has been called in to assist with the efforts, and state police have set up a half mile perimeter as a safety precaution.
Responding to the incident on Twitter, some environmental voices said the explosion was further evidence fracking should be banned:
\u201cToday's explosion in Pennsylvania once again shows that the hazards of #fracking are unacceptable. https://t.co/PwbbFmlhRG\u201d— Food & Water Watch (@Food & Water Watch) 1392144778
\u201c.@NYGovCuomo see this KDKA photo of #natgas well explosion in PA https://t.co/YB5cANnC43 - ban #fracking!\u201d— Frack Action (@Frack Action) 1392134643
\u201cMore explosions, more spills, when will we learn? - Natural gas well explosion and fire in PA https://t.co/GF9gIRNayg\u201d— Waterkeeper Alliance (@Waterkeeper Alliance) 1392153287
_______________
An explosion at a natural gas fracking well in Pennsylvania on Tuesday has sent one person to the hospital, left one person injured and sparked a fire that could take days to contain.
According to a statement from well operator Chevron, the fire broke out at approximately 6:45 Tuesday morning at their well in Dunkard Township in Greene County, about 50 miles south of Pittsburgh.
"We're being told ... the site itself, that fire, will not be contained and we will not have access to that property for at least a few days," Trooper Stefani Plume said at a press conference.
Local ABC affiliate WTAE reports:
[Department of Environmental Protection spokesman John] Poister said Chevron had previously completed drilling and hydraulically fracturing, or fracking, the well and was in the final stages of using steel pipe to hook it up to a pipeline distribution network for production.
Complicating the fire, which continued to burn into the afternoon, was the fact that a propane-holding truck was on the well pad and also exploded, Poister said.
The cause of the explosion has not yet been determined.
A team from Wild Well Control, a company that specializes in dealing with well blowouts, has been called in to assist with the efforts, and state police have set up a half mile perimeter as a safety precaution.
Responding to the incident on Twitter, some environmental voices said the explosion was further evidence fracking should be banned:
\u201cToday's explosion in Pennsylvania once again shows that the hazards of #fracking are unacceptable. https://t.co/PwbbFmlhRG\u201d— Food & Water Watch (@Food & Water Watch) 1392144778
\u201c.@NYGovCuomo see this KDKA photo of #natgas well explosion in PA https://t.co/YB5cANnC43 - ban #fracking!\u201d— Frack Action (@Frack Action) 1392134643
\u201cMore explosions, more spills, when will we learn? - Natural gas well explosion and fire in PA https://t.co/GF9gIRNayg\u201d— Waterkeeper Alliance (@Waterkeeper Alliance) 1392153287
_______________
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.