A well blowout near Blanchard resulted in the evacuation of some residents late Thursday.
According to KOCO TV News and Facebook, it was late in the afternoon when the Blanchard Fire Department created at one-half mile evacuation area which included the Winter Creek Golf and Country Club.
The evacuation was near County Road 1340 located between County Street 2970 and County Street 2980.
Blanchard Fire Department officials later said they had a 1/2 mile evacuation area set up, which included the Winter Creek Golf and Country Club.
Two shelters were being used for those evacuated from the area. One is in Blanchard and the other in Naples.
A blowout is described as an uncontrolled release of crude oil and/or natural gas. It is an indication that pressure control systems apparently failed. Modern wells have blowout preventers designed to prevent such incidents. They have the potential to be not only dangerous but deadly because a blowout can lead to a catastrophic oil or gas fire.