Authorities in Louisiana confirmed that 7 Wild Well Control workers were injured when an oil well exploded Tuesday afternoon near Belle Isle in St. Mary Parish
Wild Well Control Workers Were Plugging Abandoned Well
The injured workers had been dispatched earlier in the week to permanently plug the abandoned well located along Little Wax Bayou 18 miles south of Patterson.
The blown-out well had been spewing natural gas since Sunday. According to the well’s operator, Houston-based Texas Petroleum Investment Co., a spark triggered the explosion shortly before 3:00 p.m. on May 25th.
4 Contractors Burned, 3 Others Sought Treatment on Their Own
Four contractors suffered burns to their hands and faces, one of whom was airlifted to the burn unit in Lafayette and another flown to a burn unit in New Orleans. Two other injured workers were transferred to New Orleans via ambulance.
Three additional contractors received treatment at Ochsner St. Mary emergency department after driving themselves to the hospital.
Investigation Will Begin Once Well Site Declared Safe
The resulting well fire was brought under control within two hours of the explosion.
According to Texas Petroleum, the flow of gas from the well is minimal and poses no threat to the public or the environment. Additional workers have been brought in and are developing a plan to secure and plug the well.
The Louisiana Department of Natural Resources will launch a full investigation of the incident once emergency personnel declare the site safe.
Previous Texas Petroleum Investment Accidents Include 2 Explosion Deaths
Texas Petroleum operates more than 2,000 producing wells along the Gulf Coasts of Texas, Louisiana, and Alabama. According to KATC-3 News, Tuesday’s explosion wasn’t the first serious incident involving one of the company’s sites.
In June 2014, for example, federal and state agencies were forced to burn an area in the Delta National Wildlife Refuge after it was contaminated by a 2,100-gallon crude oil leak from a Texas Petroleum operation.
In May 2015, a rented compressor sparked a platform fire near Breton Island in Plaquemines Parish, resulting in an oil spill and the evacuation of 28 people.
Then in October 2015, two men died in a boat explosion in White Lake while working on a Texas Petroleum oilfield production platform.
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