Candlelight Vigil, Betts Park, Warren, PA
Missing worker identified in Greene County gas well explosion
From the Article by Molly Born, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, February 18, 2014
A northwestern Pennsylvania newspaper has identified a worker missing since the past week’s gas well explosion and fire in Dunkard, Greene County. The Times Observer of Warren reported that friends held a candlelight vigil Thursday for Ian McKee, 27, originally from Warren, Pennsylvania, but whose latest address is in Morgantown, W.Va.
Mr. McKee, an employee of Cameron International, a contractor to Chevron, was onsite when the gas well near Bobtown exploded last Tuesday morning. Officials at a press conference Monday in Morgantown said they continue to search for the man, who is feared dead.
“This is an extremely difficult time for our Chevron family and those who work for Cameron Surface Systems,” Chevron spokesman Trip Oliver said Monday. “Our thoughts and prayers go out to [the missing employee's] family and friends.”
A spokesman for Houston-based Cameron International declined comment this morning. Mr. Oliver said Monday if the missing employee is confirmed to have died in the explosion, it would be the first Marcellus operations-related fatality for Chevron.
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NOTE ON SET BACK DISTANCES: Initially, the PA State Police set up a two-mile perimeter around the burning gas well(s). Then, the Wild Well Control crew from Houston. Texas, couldn’t get closer than a half mile (more than 2500 feet) because of the heat.
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Chevron Update No. 8: PA Greene County Gas Well Fires(s)
Feb. 17, 2014, 4:55 p.m. EST – For clarification regarding the timeline associated with the Lanco Well Site Fire – the initial well, 7H, began burning the morning of February 11. An adjacent well on the pad, 6H, began burning on February 14, after sustaining damage from the heat of the fire from the initial well. The two wells were no longer burning as of 3PM Saturday, February 15th.
It is premature to speculate on what caused the flames to go out. However, we do know at this time the volume of natural gas is lower than what it had been previously.
Due to the flames going out, Wild Well Control was able to access the well pad to perform an assessment of the wellhead equipment on Sunday. The information gathered allows our planning engineers to have the latest and most accurate information readily available to assist with their intervention. Wild Well Control is also mobilizing blowout prevention equipment, such as capping stacks, to seal the wells, which is standard equipment for these types of situations.
Before the well intervention equipment work can commence, a crane that was burned as a result of the fire must be removed from the site. The crane, that is approximately 30 feet from the well head, required special equipment to be brought in to assist with its removal.
Water tanks have been moved onto the Lanco well pad to prepare for well intervention work and fire prevention and suppression, if necessary. We are currently connecting all of the tanks together and filling them with fresh water. We have mobilized a fleet of tanks that hold 500 barrels of water each, with an approximate capacity of 21,000 gallons per tank. The purpose of these tanks is to provide enough water to cool the area and minimize the potential for re-ignition.
On Sunday, Chevron met with DEP representatives at the Incident Command Center in Moon Township for a Technical Briefing on the well intervention plan. Chevron continues to work cooperatively with local, state and federal agencies and emergency response organizations. We appreciate their ongoing support to this incident.
A weather station is in place on site to provide accurate, current on-site weather conditions for monitoring by the Incident Command Center to assist with operations planning. We are dedicating considerable resources to maintaining and clearing the roads due to weather conditions to help assist personnel traveling to the site and equipment being delivered. Incident command and response teams continue to work 24 hours a day to assess and respond to the incident and to help protect the safety of all involved in responding to this incident.
Neighbors may call a Chevron toll-free line with any questions: 1-877-847-8408.
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