Gas Well Fire in Susquehanna County

DEP is looking into the cause of a fire at a natural gas well pad in Susquehanna County on Tuesday.

The fire happened at a separator tank at a site operated by Chesapeake Energy. The tank ignited at about 8 p.m. and was put out at around 10 p.m. by local emergency responders working with the company. The well was producing natural gas from the Marcellus Shale formation through a pipeline away from the wellhead to a production unit where a valve failed, leaked natural gas and caught fire.

DEP Secretary John Hangar says the incident doesn’t appear to have caused any significant environmental contamination.

Chesapeake notified the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency of the fire at about 8:30 p.m. DEP dispatched an oil and gas inspector immediately to the scene to assess the conditions. The site will remain closed until repairs can be made and DEP completes its investigation.

Chesapeake Energy has been issued 698 permits to develop natural gas in Pennsylvania, 697 of which are located within the Marcellus Shale. The company operates 187 wells in the state, 182 of which are in the Marcellus Shale.

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