Powhatan Point is in the Ohio Valley opposite Marshall County, WV

From a News Report by D.K. Wright, WTRF News 7, February 15, 2018

UPDATE: XTO Energy will be bringing in a well control team from Texas after a “loss of containment” resulting in a gas well fire Thursday morning in Powhatan, OH.

Officials reportedly went door to door to residents and businesses within a two-mile radius suggesting that they evacuate. Evacuations are voluntary at this time, not mandatory. They are using an abundance of caution during this time.

According to Karen Matusic, XTO Public Relations, said that they hate that this happened to the community, but they are appreciative of the community being so welcoming.

Officials are in the process of setting up a claims line for everyone affected. 7News will keep you updated once that number is released. Officials are also setting up hotel rooms for those that need them.

Matusic said that there was no estimated time for residents to be allowed back at their homes.

XTO Energy is working with local county and state law enforcement to secure the roads. At this time, State Route 148 in Powhatan is closed.

ODNR has released a statement about the incident:

“ODNR was notified at 9:38 a.m. of a potential incident on a XTO Energy well pad outside of Powhatan Point in Belmont County. ODNR, OhioEPA, and local authorities are all on scene working to mitigate the situation. The well is currently on fire and the local authorities have evacuated a one-mile radius.”

“A well control company will be onsite soon and will work to get the well under control. At this time, no injuries have been reported and we’ll continue to monitor the situation from onsite.”

State Representative Jack Cera is on the scene, because he wants to make sure all of the people living in the area are being taken care of properly.

Canadian forest fire hazard areas

Massive Canada wildfire spreads south forcing more evacuations

Update news report, BBC News Service, May 5, 2016

A massive wildfire is raging in Alberta and has grown to 210,000 acres (328.2 sq miles), with 88,000 people facing their second evacuation in three days.

The blaze has grown five times its initial size as it spreads south, prompting more than 88,000 residents of the Fort McMurray area to evacuations. But 25,000 of those people who left their homes on Tuesday and moved north may now have to be resettled again.

“Our focus right now is on getting those people south as quickly as possible,” said the Alberta premier. Urban areas in the south are better able to support the displaced, officials said.

The fire is growing in size due to high winds but it is “under control”, said Rachel Notley.

The fire started on Sunday in Canada’s oil sands region and many oil sands projects have cut production. There are still no known casualties from the fire but there was at least one vehicle crash with fatalities on the evacuation route.

Scott Long of the Alberta Emergency Management Agency called the blaze “an extreme fire event” and that rain would be needed to fight it. Cooler temperatures and rain are forecast, giving hope that it could become easier to contain the fire.

• 49 wildfires in total
• seven are ‘out of control’
• more than 1,100 firefighters
• 145 helicopters
• 138 pieces of heavy equipment
• 22 air tankers

The fire has knocked out nearly a third of the country’s daily crude capacity. At least 64,000 barrels of crude output is offline as a result of the fire, according to Reuters.

‘It’s catastrophic’ said a fleeing resident. Szymon Bicz had to leave most of his belongings behind in Fort McMurray.

“The smoke was really overpowering. It was a terrifying experience,” says Szymon Bicz, who fled his home. “Thick black smoke was closing in and surrounded the car. People were driving up on paths and grass verges just to get out of there. I’m hoping my rented house is still intact but I just don’t know. “The whole region is at risk. It’s absolutely catastrophic.”

‘It just doesn’t seem real’ said Fort McMurray residents as they flee their homes

Residents north of Fort McMurray are being told to shelter in place. The blaze grew close to the local airport on Thursday, with the CBC reporting that some buildings have been destroyed, but the main terminal is still intact. All flights are cancelled.

“It is a possibility that we may lose a large portion of the town,” Scott Long, an official with Alberta’s emergency management agency told Reuters.  Thousands have stayed in arenas, hockey rinks and school gymnasiums, some with little food and other resources.Authorities in Alberta have called the fire “catastrophic”.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said on Thursday that the federal government will match donations to the Canadian Red Cross to assist those affected by the fire.

“The outpouring of good will and compassion from Canadians right across the country has not only been inspirational, it has been entirely characteristic of who we are and the fundamental human values we share as Canadians,” Mr Trudeau said.

See also: www.FrackCheckWV.net

Eastern Ohio Well Pad opposite Wetzel Co., WV

Fish kill in eastern Ohio (may be) linked to fire at fracking well

From an Article by Jim Woods, Columbus Dispatch, June 30, 2014

The State of Ohio is investigating a fish kill in an eastern Ohio creek near where a fire occurred at a shale-well fracking site on Saturday.

The Ohio Department of Natural Resources learned yesterday of the fish kill in Possum Creek in Monroe County, said Jason Fallon, an agency spokesman. Fallon said he did not have details about the extent of the kill. “I can’t confirm if it’s related to the gas-well fire,” he said.

Phillip Keevert, director of the Monroe County Emergency Management Agency, said Division of Wildlife agents were inspecting the creek yesterday and confirmed that a kill occurred.

The Eisenbarth well pad caught fire on Saturday because of a malfunction in hydraulic tubing, authorities said. Fire spread to about 20 trucks lined up on the well pad, triggering explosions that spewed clouds of black smoke.

The trucks that caught fire are used in hydraulic fracturing, commonly known as fracking. Statoil North America operates eight wells on the pad.

At the height of the fire, 20 to 25 families that live within a mile of the site were evacuated. They were allowed to return home on Saturday evening.

A number of area residents reported the fish kill yesterday. Jack Shaner, deputy director of the Ohio Environmental Council, said he has been told that the kill stretched for a few miles. Shaner said he suspects that chemicals used in fracking ran into the creek when firefighters extinguished the blaze.

“It sounds like it was not just smoke and not just fire, but a major fish kill,” he said. “Both the company and state agencies owe the public a full public accounting of what went wrong and how they are going to prevent future occurrences.”

Statoil North America officials could not be reached for comment. All 17 of the company’s Ohio wells are in Monroe County.