PHOTOS BY JACOB KESSLER / THE VILLAGE REPORTER
WELL … Specialists from CUDD Well Control were brought in to manage the burning well and safely cap it after the explosion.
TENDER … A Gorham Fayette Fire Department tanker dumps water into portable tanks, part of the shuttle operation that supplied more than half a million gallons of water during the response.
By: Jacob Kessler
THE VILLAGE REPORTER
jacob@thevillagereporter.com
A water well drilling operation west of Wauseon exploded and caught fire Wednesday afternoon, July 15, injuring two workers and drawing a large emergency response from across the region.
Crews were dispatched at approximately 2:31 p.m. to a property on County Road 18 near County Road F. Several emergency units in the county were already tied up on other calls when the report came in.
Wauseon Fire Chief Phil Kessler said the seriousness of the call became clear as crews approached the property and saw smoke rising from the burning wreckage.
A passerby had stopped before firefighters arrived and was helping the injured workers.
Two additional Advanced Life Support units were immediately requested, in addition to those already there from Wauseon, bringing Delta ALS 2 and Swanton ALS 7 to the scene. Both available medical helicopters were also called.
Each ALS crew was assigned to one of the injured workers as they arrived. Both patients were later flown to trauma centers for treatment.
The Ohio State Fire Marshal’s Office was contacted shortly after the explosion because of the circumstances surrounding the incident and the severity of the injuries.
From the start, firefighters were dealing with two separate fires. The drilling rig was burning, while flames were also coming from the well itself.
Once the injured workers had been moved out of the hot zone and into ambulances, crews turned their attention to keeping the fire from spreading.
There was no established water supply at the rural property, so firefighters set up portable tanks and relied on water tenders to shuttle water to the scene.
Crews worked to extinguish the drilling rig and protect a nearby barndominium. Water curtains were also placed around the burning well to control the heat and shield the surrounding property while the escaping gas continued to burn.
Chief Kessler said there were no natural gas lines in the area. The drilling crew is believed to have struck an underground pocket of gas while drilling the water well, causing the explosion.
The size of the gas pocket was not known, and specialists were brought in to determine how the well could be safely controlled and capped.
Officials said the incident did not pose a danger to the surrounding public. The family living on the property where the well was being drilled was evacuated as a precaution while crews worked to stabilize the scene.
The Ohio Fire Chiefs’ Emergency Response Plan was activated, bringing additional equipment and personnel from throughout the region.
More than 15 fire departments and emergency agencies assisted, including representatives from the Red Cross, and firefighters used more than half a million gallons of water during the response.
The well continued burning overnight and was extinguished sometime around 3:30 p.m. on Thursday, July 16.
A specialized crew from CUDD Well Control was brought to the property to help control the fire, manage the gas release and cap the well.