A major gas explosion lit up a remote West Texas town the morning of Dec. 3 as contractors at an Anadarko Petroleum Corp. (NYSE: APC) facility evacuated, said Israel Campos, chief deputy at the Reeves County Sheriff’s Office.
No one was seriously injured.
Construction work is underway at the Ramsey Plant in Orla, Texas. However, the expansion to the plant is not tied in with any main lines, Campos said, adding that calls began coming into the sheriff’s office about 10 a.m.
He said two people suffered minor complaints, one from slipping and falling. The other injury was the result of an onlooker watching the flames for too long. “One of the guys was watching the fire,” Campos said, adding the person suffered the equivalent of a sun burn.
Anadarko spokesman John Christiansen said Anadarko was appreciative of the quick and comprehensive response of the local sheriff’s office and fire department and thankful all workers were are safe.
“The fire has significantly diminished and is contained to one area of the plant,” Christiansen said on the evening of Dec. 3. “We will not know the cause, extent of the damage nor be able to estimate when the plant could safely resume operations until a full assessment can be conducted.”
Christensen said updates would be provided as appropriate.
Campos said several hundred people were in the vicinity of the explosion. “All these guys are pretty much contractors and all are accounted for,” Campos said.
Campos said Anadarko allowed the fire to burn out and that there is little chance of a grass fire.
“There isn’t any [grass]. It’s desert,” he said. “It’s barren and the only traffic is oilfield traffic.”
The sheriff’s office helped secure a perimeter around the plant but Anadarko will lead the investigation because it owns the site, Campos said.
Eddy County, N.M., authorities also responded to the scene. Orla, Texas, is about four miles from the New Mexico border and about 100 miles west of Odessa.
About 300 evacuees were transported by bus to Carlsbad, said Jennifer Armendariz, emergency manager. “There were a couple of scrapes. It actually worked out well.”
She said the company briefed the employees and they were released.
Armendariz said that initially Eddy County officials created a 10-mile perimeter around the gas plant but no residents live in the area.
Darren Barbee can be reached at dbarbee@hartenergy.com.
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