Recent Fires and Explosions with Natural Gas in the US

by Duane Nichols on March 15, 2014

Nebraska pipeline gas fire

Natural Gas can Explode & Burn at the Well Head, in Processing Plants, or at Pipeline Operations

Compiled from Public News Sources, March 15, 2014

An early summary from WDTV reports a gas compressor fire in west central West Virginia.  A Dominion compressor station fire occurred around 4 pm on Friday, March 14th in Ritchie County off WV Route 16.  The Smithville VFD and Calhoun VFD responded.  No injuries have been reported.

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Gas Pipeline Explodes With Fire in Dodge County, Nebraska

A natural gas pipeline exploded around 8:30 am, Friday, March 14th, near Fremont in Dodge County, Nebraska.   This explosion and fire has been reported by KETV out of Omaha. Four fire companies responded to this explosion and fire, which burned for about 4 hours.

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Pipeline Explosion near Chattanooga, TN

A natural gas distribution pipeline explosion resulted in a fire on Browns Ferry Road, in the Lookout Valley area of Chattanooga, TN.  This occurred around 10 am, on Wednesday, March 12th when workmen accidentally broke the pipeline.

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Four (4) workers hurt in Corpus Christi gas plant fire

Corpus Christi, Texas – Four contract workers have suffered burns in a flash fire at an Enterprise Products Partners LP natural gas processing plant in South Texas. The accident happened Tuesday March 11th at the Enterprise Products Shoup plant in Corpus Christi.

The workers were changing a component designed to filter the gas stream when the fire happened. Two workers were taken to a Corpus Christi hospital. The other two workers were flown to San Antonio Military Medical Center.

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Apartment Building(s) Explode in New York City

New York, NY — A large explosion and fire occurred in New York City on Wednesday morning, March 12th.  Apparently, leaking natural gas accumulated in the basement and lower floors of a large apartment building then exploded destroying two buildings. There are currently 8 deaths and about 60 injured.

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Marcellus  Gas Explosion & Fire at Chevron Pad in Greene Co., PA

An explosion and fire at a Chevron gas well pad occurred on February 11th. The location is very near the WV-PA Mason-Dixon line in Greene County, PA.  One worker (Ian McKee) was killed and one worker was injured.  Two of the three wells were on fire resulting in a one-half mile standoff due to the extreme heat.  After two weeks, the fires were out, the site was drenched with water and the three wells were capped to contain the natural gas leakage.  Plugs are being placed down hole.

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October 23, 1989: An explosion at Phillips Petroleum Co. plastics plant at Pasadena in Texas kills 23 people and injures 130.

{ 7 comments… read them below or add one }

SkyLark Update 1 March 16, 2014 at 8:54 pm

NEW JERSEY: The Williams compressor station exploded Thursday night, May 30th 2013, in Branchburg New Jersey. Some thirteen (13) workers were injured, two seriously. Local residents sensed something wrong the day before the explosion and fire. Gas leaked so loudly from the pipeline that it sounded “like a jet plane about to crash,” said a resident.

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SkyLark Update 2 March 16, 2014 at 9:06 pm

In rural Tyler County, WV, a flash fire at a GAS PIPELINE CLEANING STATION (“pig receiving station”) on April 11, 2013 resulted in the death of two workers and two others injured. Dead were Bruce Phipps, 56, and Raymond Miller, 43. The facility belongs to the Eureka Triad Hunter company affiliated with Magnum Hunter Resources. This event was report by http://www.FrackCheckWV.net on April 15, 2013.

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SkyLark Update 3 March 16, 2014 at 9:27 pm

KENTUCKY: February 13, 2014, a natural gas explosion this date in Adair County KY, destroyed two nearby homes and sent two people to the hospital. The underground gas line exploded at around 1 a.m., leaving a crater in the ground 60 feet deep by 50 feet wide, according to county EMA director. Three homes caught fire and two of them were completely destroyed, along with barns and cars. Approximately 20 homes were evacuated.

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SkyLark Update 4 March 16, 2014 at 9:37 pm

NATURAL GAS WATCH: It is utterly shocking to discover how many natural gas explosions and fires take place in the United States every month. An internet web-site that keeps track of most “natural gas explosions and fires” can be found at: http://www.naturalgaswatch.org

PITTSBURGH SOUTH HILLS: The house that exploded on February 7th in the Brentwood section of Pittsburgh resulted in burns on the back and face to the resident who survived.

NEW JERSEY: The house that exploded on March 11th in the Ewing section of Trenton, NJ, resulted in one death and 7 injured.

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SkyLark Update 5 (2/14/2014) March 17, 2014 at 5:12 pm

GAS TANK EXPLOSION ROCKS NORTHERN SMITH COUNTY IN TEXAS

RED SPRINGS, SMITH COUNTY, TEXAS (KETK) — Firefighters were on scene of a gas tank explosion in northern Smith County early in the morning on February 14, 2014. The explosion happened around 3:30 a.m., just south of the intersection of Farm to Market Road 16 and Highway 14, across the street from the Tiger Creek Wildlife Refuge.

The blast scorched two acres of nearby land and residents in the surrounding area say the explosion shook their homes and woke them up. Although there was talk of evacuating nearby families, authorities were able to cut off the gas allowing residents to stay in their homes.

No one was injured but 80 percent of the facility was destroyed. Red Springs Fire Department was assisted by Winona and Lindale officials. The Smith County Fire Marshal is investigating what caused the explosion.

http://www.ketknbc.com/news/gas-tank-explosion-rocks-northern-smith-county-ear

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SkyLark Update 6 (3/17/2014) March 18, 2014 at 8:11 am

Ice blamed for gas pipeline burst in north east Penna.

LENOX TWP. Susquehanna County, Penna. — Williams, a natural gas pipeline company, has confirmed a gathering pipe line accidentally burst, letting brine escape Thursday in a rural Susquehanna County area. The 37 acre Loomis Lake is nearby.

Ice had built up in an above-ground pipeline connection between the Jeffers Farms wells and the Zick Compressor Station near Route 106, causing the pipes to burst, a Williams spokesman said. Williams owns the gathering line and the compressor station.

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Miranda Murphy March 19, 2014 at 12:35 am

REGARDING THE FIRST INCIDENT IN THE ARTICLE

Your article about the Compressor Station fire in Ritchie county, WV, list incorrect information. My husband is the fire chief of Smithville VFD and they were the only department to respond to this fire. Grantsville VFD (Calhoun) was responding to a brush fire in another part of Ritchie county at the same time, along with another crew from Smithville VFD. They did not respond to the compressor station fire.

Thank You, Miranda Murphy

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