Colorado’s biggest oil and gas operator, Anadarko Petroleum Corp. says it has returned nearly half of its vertical wells in the state to operation following a deadly natural gas explosion in thee Denver suburb of Firestone.
Immediately after the blast that killed two men and injured a woman, Anadarko shut down all of its wells in Colorado and plugged and abandoned 600 more according to a report in the Denver Post.
The company confirmed it has returned about half of the vertical wells to service and is evaluating others. Anadarko said it permanently disconnected about 4,000 flowlines.
It was April 17, 2017 when an explosion happened as two men were working on a hot water heater in the basement of a home. Both were killed and the wife of one of the men was badly burned.
The blast was caused by an uncapped gas line that had been leaking non-odorous gas for several months.
In addition to the shutdown of many of its wells, Anadarko also inspected all active flowlines within 1,000 feet of a building. The company also distributed more than 750 methane detectors to residents concerned about possible gas line leaks.
