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Gas well fire extinguished in Mercer County
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A small shed housing a natural gas compressor at a Mercer County well caught fire this morning, burning for more than two hours before firefighters extinguished it.
The Jamestown Fire Department was dispatched shortly before 4 a.m. to a Bocor Holdings natural gas well in the 900 block of Jamestown Road in Greene Township, a Mercer County dispatcher said. One nearby resident was forced to evacuate.
John Poister, a spokesman for the state Department of Environmental Protection, said the fire was caused by an electrical short in a small shed.
The fire largely was fueled by lubricants in the compressor, but there was no release of natural gas, Mr. Poister said. The fire was declared under control at 6:34 a.m.
Damage from the blaze has forced the company to shut down 11 of its wells wells and a collection line.
First Published February 3, 2012 8:59 am
