A Chesapeake Energy well located east of Austin, Texas caught fire Wednesday killing one worker and leaving three others in the hospital.
The blow-out and fire happened during service work at a site 75 miles east of Austin in Burleson County, according to Reuters.
The well continued to burn for several hours after the incident, said a representative from the Burleson County Sheriff’s Office.
Three victims were transported via helicopters to medical facilities in Austin and Houston, Chesapeake spokesman Gordon Pennoyer said in a statement. Emergency personnel and specialists in oil-well fires were at the scene late on Wednesday, he said.
Chesapeake acquired its Burleson County acreage, part of the eastern part of the South Texas Eagle Ford Shale field, from WildHorse Resource Development in a deal that closed last year. The deal was part of Chesapeake’s plan to produce more oil instead of natural gas.
Source: Reuters