MULTIPLE OIL WELL INCIDENTS UNDER INVESTIGATION IN BURLESON CO.
Weekend incidents at two separate oil well sites owned by the same company in Burleson County are under investigation.
(courtesy Cooks Point Volunteer Fire Dept.)
An oil well explosion occurred around 7 p.m. Friday at Chesapeake Energy’s well on County Road 403 off of Park Road 57, near Lake Somerville. A driver was flown to the hospital after striking debris from the explosion that landed in the middle of the road.
Around 10 a.m. Saturday, a fire was reported at two oil tanks at Chesapeake’s oil well site on County Road 340 off of FM 1362 North, near Cooks Point. The tanks were fully involved when firefighters arrived, and the fire took just under half an hour to control.
The Oklahoma City-based company said both sites are contained, and the investigation into what caused the explosion and fires is ongoing.
In late January 2020, three workers were killed after an oil well blowout at the company’s site on County Road 127, close to Deanville. Family members of the victims filed suit against the company, accusing it of improperly managing the site.
Early the next month, two tanks were damaged in an explosion at the company’s wellsite on Sandy Point Road in Brazos County.
According to the U.S. Department of Labor Occupational Safety and Health Administration, Chesapeake faces tens of thousands of dollars in fines stemming from the deadly January 2020 incident.
Wait….multiple disasters spread over 12 months including multiple deaths and ONLY tens of thousands in fines? Obviously steps werent taken to improve things one bit. They should be hit severely. What if those killed were family members of the OSHA office investigating, would a more harsh penalty be handed down?