A man died in an Ohio oil well explosion in Noble County late Wednesday afternoon.
The explosion was reported around 4:15 p.m. on Wednesday near a CONSOL Energy wellhead in Marion Township, about 100 miles east of Columbus.
The fire was contained quickly, but continues to burn, according to the Noble County Sheriff.
Authorities say there is now a four mile no-fly zone around the area of the fire.
The Sheriff says emergency crews are doing everything they can to protect rescue personnel and the environment.
The worker who was killed was identified as Norman Butler, 48, of Newport News, Virginia.
No other injuries were reported.
The company that operates the pumping skid which is connected to the CONSOL Energy well pad released the following statement:
Late yesterday afternoon at approximately 4:15 p.m. an accident occurred at a condensate pumping skid in Noble County, Ohio that is owned and operated by Blue Racer Midstream (“Blue Racer”). The skid is adjacent to a CONSOL Energy well pad which was not operating at the time of the accident. The accident resulted in the death of an employee of Blue Racer’s electrical contractor. The name of that employee is being withheld pending notification of family members. There were no other injuries to Blue Racer or CONSOL Energy employees or contractors.
The Noble County Sheriff’s office arrived on the scene immediately following the incident along with local fire departments, the Noble County Emergency Management Agency (EMA), and the state Fire Marshall. The site has been secured and all production wells and pipelines have been shut in and secured. Safety is our first concern. With that in mind, we will work closely and diligently with all of the proper authorities as they investigate the accident.
Everyone at Blue Racer Midstream is deeply saddened by this event. Our thoughts and prayers are with the family members and friends that have been affected. We would like to extend our appreciation to Noble County Sheriff, Stephen S. Hannum, and his team, and to local fire departments, the Noble County EMA, and the State Fire Marshall for their rapid response.
