Posted on 03/20/2008 7:34:29 AM PDT by Tennessee_Bob
OLIVER SPRINGS, TN -- Firefighters at the site of an oil well fire in Oliver Springs expect the fire to burn for a few more days before it is extinguished. They plan to use heavy equipment and water to extinguish the blaze.
Three firefighters from Wild Well Control will are figuring out how to get the oil to stop flowing so the fire can be extinguished.
"While it's burning, it's really safer for us, working around it, versus if the well was just blowing around a bunch of oil and gas," Wild Well Control, Inc. Executive VP Freddy Gebhardt said. "So, since it's burning, we'll let it burn while we remove all the debris."
Heavy-duty equipment will be used to cap off the flow. If terrain makes it difficult to get heavy equipment into the site, it will take longer to put out the fire.
Wild Well Control took three emergency calls yesterday and responds to about 200 calls around the globe yearly.
The Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation reports crews had to crimp a domestic gas line to prevent the fire from spreading, after that gas line caught fire.
Ten residential Powell-Clinch Utilities customers were left without gas service.
The fire is located on Cove Lane and, at one point, could be seen for miles. Stout says flames are said to be at least 50 feet in the air.
Emergency crews have set up a temporary shelter at Beech Park Baptist Church for people driven from their homes.
The Red Cross is setting up a primary shelter to accommodate up to 100 people at Norwood Middle School gym in Oliver Springs.
Oliver Springs City manager, David Bolling, said water customers are not being asked to do anything differently. There is a water tank in the Cove area of Oliver Springs, but there's a lid over the tank, preventing any contamination.
However, the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation tells us that crews are working to prevent oil from running into nearby Wright's Creek. They have also added booms into the creekbed as a precaution.
Multiple fire departments are on the scene working the fire. Stout estimates there are between 40 to 50 firefighters. Stout says Hazardous Materials crews have also been called to the scene.
Tuesday, crews digging the well hit an intense pocket of pressure causing condensed oil to spew into the air.
A few evacuations were ordered at that time, but residents tell 10 News they are not aware of a mandatory evacuation because of Wednesday's fire.
A drainage pond that was used to collect water from yesterday's leak is also on fire, though Stout says it is small compared to the oil well fire.
This mornings fire erupted just after 7 a.m.
We will have more information both on air and online as we learn more details.
Wyatt’s torch?
There’s oil in Tennessee?........
We need Red Adair again. I sure miss him.
Within five miles of where I’m sitting, there’s oil, coal, and nuclear weapons. I’ve worked in all three industries so far :)
Price of gas gone up yet?
Nah, but Al Gore should be here any minute to condemn us for contributing to global warming. Well, maybe not. He's supposed to be a Tennesseean, but I doubt he could find Oliver Springs with a map and a GPS.
And the enviro-Nazis hate all three. My wish for them is to shiver in the dark.
I’ve worked with his son-in-laws that own Boots and Coots. With BHOP’s on wells now, oil fires are few and far between and they were going through a lot of financial problems.
An oil fire? We had better raise the price of gas to $4 just in case.
In Tennessee ..... Black Gold, Texas Tea
The well has been burning for days.
The price of oil has been falling for days.
Well, somebody had better tell the gas stations to turn on the tv. From what I hear, Chavez’ cat threw up some friskies, so that should be good for another ten cents. And I hear it’s going to be warm this summer, moderate next fall, and cold next winter, so we need to prepare for that by sending the price of oil to $120+.
What caused the fire?
From what we’ve seen/heard so far, they had an oil/natural gas leak going on and allegedly were flagging traffic. Someone drove past the checkpoint, and their vehicle sparked and lit off the oil/gas mixture. He’s at Vanderbilt for 3rd degree burns on the lower half of his body.
I read an article recently about sizeable oil deposits in Eastern Tennessee. There was an attempt to exploit it once before which resulted in a blowout several years ago. The article stated that there were new attempts afoot to get at it. Is this well in the same formation and area?
"No, honey ... honest ... I was just driving to work and the bext thing I knew ... BLAM ... and here I am in the hospital."
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