June Road well pad fire was brief, contained

The Great Trail Fire District of Malvern was dispatched to a reported explosion with fire on a well pad on June Road at 7 a.m. Dec. 16. Fire units arrived to find an active fire on the well pad.

Great Trail Fire District Chief Ralph Castellucci said additional departments were requested immediately upon dispatch as a precaution. Three departments were initially called but were turned around after crews assessed the situation and confirmed all personnel were safely off the well pad.

Firefighters coordinated with personnel on site, and information sharing and personnel accountability were established with EOG Resources Inc., which was actively fracking on the pad at the time of the incident. Company protocols shut down the equipment, Castellucci said.

The fire was allowed to burn down and was contained to a vapor tank. The wellheads were not involved in the fire and officials reported minimal damage to equipment on the well pad.

“The fire largely burned itself out within approximately 15 minutes,” Castellucci said. “Crews were on scene for about an hour to check conditions, conducting overhaul operations and extinguishing a few remaining smoldering areas. Most of the fire had already gone out on its own.”

Following up on Castellucci’s report, Emergency Management Director Tom Cottis and Deputy Emergency Management Director Dustin Lucas attended the Carroll County commissioners meeting Dec. 18 to clear up false reports or misconceptions on social media.

Cottis said reports he saw on the internet describing a major explosion or a fire burning for hours were inaccurate. He said the incident was a brief “flash fire” during the fracking process, one of the most vulnerable stages of operations, and that built-in safety systems worked as designed.

“There was a flash and there was a visible column of smoke,” Cottis said. “But it was not a major explosion and it was not a prolonged fire.”

Cottis said the appearance of the fire was intensified by snow on the ground, which reflected light and made the flames appear larger and brighter from a distance.

Lucas said that effect led to additional calls the following night when residents mistook a routine flare stack for another fire.

“From where the caller was, it was right on the horizon line, so it did look like something was on fire, when in reality it was a flare stack doing what it’s supposed to do,” Lucas said.

The EMA praised the Great Trail Fire District, EOG Resources Inc. and everyone involved.

“Great Trail did a great job,” Lucas said. “They coordinated with the company and state officials and everything worked the way it was supposed to.”

Commissioners said they were pleased with the coordination between the agencies and asked the EMA to thank EOG Resources Inc. for the feedback from the industry, adding they would like communication to remain open between all parties.