• 26
  • September
    2011

An explosion occurred at an oil rig last week on the Eagle Ford shale in Falls City. Two men were hospitalized following the Texas oil rig accident.

Authorities explained that the explosion occurred when a truck driver was transferring hot oil into the well as part of a process to clean the pipeline. Backflow caused the truck, carrying two propane tanks used to provide the heat, to ignite and explode.

The explosion engulfed the trucks at the oil well and sent flames 50 feet into the air. The cloud of black smoke was visible from over 15 miles away. Law enforcement and firefighters from two jurisdictions responded to the explosion. All those within a mile radius were given mandatory orders to evacuate.

The 60-year-old well had a safety valve that shut it off and prevented it from catching fire. Luckily the blaze was able to be contained and did not cause a fire throughout the dried vegetation surrounding the area. "Look around it's all brush. If it ever got out here, we would've had a pretty good fire on our hands," explained Karnes County Sheriff David Jalufka.

Two workers were hospitalized with second and third degree burns. One has since been released, and the other man is still recovering.

OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Administration) and TCEQ (Texas Commission on Environmental Quality) are currently investigating at the site and looking through all the burned equipment.

Source: KENS 5, Two hurt in oil rig explosion in Karnes County, Joe Conger, 22 September 2011