Mercer County fire forces 11 gas wells to be shut down
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A small shed housing a natural gas compressor at a Mercer County well caught fire Friday 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 on 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.
A BoCor Holdings employee said the natural gas operation was a Clinton gas well, tapping into natural gas stores up to 5,000 feet below the surface.
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 and a collection line, Mr. Poister said.
First Published February 4, 2012 12:00 am
