'Massive Explosion' Rocks Palo Pinto County (TX - 12/16/05)
06:04 AM CST on Friday, December 16, 2005 WFAA-TV Staff
Firefighters in Palo Pinto County were working to extinguish a large fire that resulted when a gas well exploded early Friday morning. The gas well is located on Highway 180 at Highway 16 on the western edge of the county.
Witnesses said they heard a large boom and saw the sky light up around 2 a.m. "It was a massive explosion, evidently," said Palo Pinto County Sheriff Ira Mercer. "It created a large crater in the ground."
A fire one mile wide burned the area around the well, and the glow in the sky could be seen more than 50 miles away in Tarrant County. At least one field worker was slightly injured. The fire continued to burn three hours later. "We are concerned possibly about other well heads exploding," Sheriff Mercer said.
The drilling rig is in a rural portion of Palo Pinto County, and no evacuations were ordered. The Texas Forest Service and other state regulatory agencies were en route to assess the situation.