Three people in Texas at a High Roller, Inc. fracking facility were injured.

“A Railroad Commission inspector (click here) responded around 5:30 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 19, to a storage tank fire at a saltwater disposal facility operated by High Roller Well, LLC, south of Pearsall on State Highway 581, south of Pearsall. Preliminary information provided to the inspector indicates that while a truck was unloading saltwater with a skim of condensate (liquid hydrocarbons) into a collection tank, welders were working nearby and sparks from the welding may have ignited vapors around the storage tank, causing the explosion. A firewall around the storage tank site contained spilled fluids, which were picked up with by a vacuum truck.

No violations of RRC rules were found, and the High Roller Well LLC lease is in compliance with Commission rules. As injuries were reported in this incident, the lead investigating agency for this incident would be the federal agency, OSHA, which needs to be contacted for further information.”


The responding fire department was a volunteer unit that had just left their regular jobs at 5:30 PM.  At least that was the way it was explained by them.  They reported putting the fire out in an hour and a half, but, the report at the link above stated the fire burned for hours until 9 PM.  There are inconsistencies in reporting and OSHA has yet to investigate.


The article below is from the news in "Fire Engineering."

Three Injured in TX Fracking Well Explosion, Fire (click title to entry - thank you)

01/20/2012

Three people were injured during an explosion and fire at an oil well in Pearsall, Texas. Hydraulic fracturing (a.k.a. "fracking") occurs at the site.

The fire burned for several hours and was extinguished by firefighters. PearsallVolunteer Fire Department Chief Placido Aguilar told StateImpact Texas (http://bit.ly/wuFtNt) an oil tank exploded, causing the fire. Firefighters took about an hour and a half to get the fire under control.

Aguilar also said the fire department has not received any additional funds or personnel during the fracking boom in the area, nor does he expect any to be forthcoming. He noted the fortuitous timing of the incident, which occurred just asvolunteer firefighters were getting out of their day jobs, thereby providing good staffing levels for the response.

It is perfectly obvious the practices reported in both sources the Petroleum Industry continue to be sloppy and dangerous.


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