[HoustonCurmudgeon]

TC,

I've heard nothing about this but have been out of touch for a few days.

I was looking at the first picture and it looks like the fire is taller in the center of the rig than outside, where the flames have just reached the monkey boards. To me that means it hasn't been burning very long, and came up the drill stem first. Do you see it that way? If so whoever took this picture was much braver than I am as I would still have been in a running position this early on!

[TexasCowboy]

You know, HC, I missed that!
You're right! It looks like it blew out through the drill pipe!
That means the derrick man was probably still in the derrick. I hope he knew how to operate the geronimo.

[TexasCowboy]

"I would still have been in a running position this early on!"

Yeah, me, too!

One thing that's noticeable, though, is the pickup truck on the right.
Now if he had time to drive the pickup off location before it blew, then they had time to evacuate.