Statoil reports fire at Ohio well pad now extinguished

June 30, 2014
A fire reported by Statoil ASA on June 28 at the company’s Eisenbarth well pad in Monroe County, Ohio, has been extinguished.

A fire reported by Statoil ASA on June 28 at the company’s Eisenbarth well pad in Monroe County, Ohio, has been extinguished.

The fire involved surface equipment only and the wells themselves were never on fire, the company said. All personnel were evacuated and remain safe. No major injuries have been reported. As a precautionary measure, the surrounding residences were temporarily evacuated.

A Statoil well-inspection team is onsite and has secured and shut in all the wells. An investigation into the causes of the fire continues with local, state, and federal authorities.

Statoil entered the Marcellus in 2008 through a partnership with Chesapeake Energy Corp. In 2012 the company acquired 70,000 operated net acres in the central Marcellus in Ohio and West Virginia for $590 million from three US private companies: Grenadier Energy Partners LLC, PetroEdge Energy LLC, and Protege Energy LLC (OGJ Online, Dec. 19, 2012).