updated: 4:15 p.m.
Pittsburg County officials say a wellhead fire is still burning out of control after an explosion occurred earlier Monday morning near the small town of Quinton.
Five workers remain unaccounted for while 17 others escaped. One of the 17 suffered some burns. He initially declined treatment but a county emergency management spokesman indicated the worker complained later of his injuries and was medi-flighted to a hospital.
Secondary fires have been extinguished around the well site but the well-hole remains afire. A special fire extinguishing company is standing by waiting to begin efforts to put out the burning well head.
“We have been only able to get to about 100 feet from the well-head,” said the county official during a late-afternoon news conference.
Searchers combed the area around the gas rig but were not able to locate the 5 working employees. Officials have not released their names. Further updates from the county emergency management officials will not be held until Tuesday morning.
As for the cause, officials say it’s unknown. It’s believed the workers might have been employed by at least two firms, one being Red Mountain Energy based in Oklahoma City. The other firm is Patterson-UTI Rig company of Houston.
One law officer said during the afternoon briefing that three of the missing workers were employed by one firm and two others from the remaining company.
Patterson-UTI is a Texas firm with extensive operations in Oklahoma. The company web site rig locator identified at least 49 oil and gas rigs in a dozen counties in the state.
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At last word, a massive gas rig fire was burning in southeast Oklahoma and 5 workers remained unaccounted for. Another dozen workers on the Patterson-UTI rig managed to escape serious injuries when the explosion happened Monday morning near the Pittsburg County town of Quinton.
The McAlester News Democrat reported secondary explosions continued at the rig site west of the town. Fire crews were on the scene making sure the fire did not spread into adjacent woods and grassland. The explosion was first reported around 8:45 a.m.
The paper quoted Pittsburg County Emergency Management Director Kevin Enloe as saying the fire was “kind of containing itself.” Enloe said a remote switch that was in place to shut the well down was rendered inoperable in the explosion, so experts are working on how to shut the well.
Pittsburg County Sheriff Chris Morris said deputies and others searched as close as they could get to the burning site for the 5 missing workers.
One worker suffered burns and was treated by medical responders at the scene but refused ambulance transport. Officials said they were not aware of any other injuries or hospitalizations.
Authorities do not yet know the cause of the explosion. Morris said it remains under investigation.
There is some confusion over who owns the rig. One report indicated the owner is Red Mountain Operating based in Oklahoma City.
Another report indicated the operator was Patterson-UTI Drilling based in Houston, Texas and with extensive operations in Oklahoma.
