At approximately 6:30 am, Wednesday, March 19th, the Partin No. 5 Oil Well caught fire during drilling operations northwest of Oliver Springs, Tenn. Apparently, a large zone of natural gas was hit and the blow off preventer failed resulting in a substantial fire and release of approximately 2000 barrels of crude oil to a secondary retention pond. According to TDEC a small amount of crude oil found its way to an unnamed tributary of Indian Creek. Local fire and hazmat arrived on scene, placed boom at several locations along the creek, and evacuated a few homes in the vicinity of the well. The responsible party, Walden Resources has hired Wild Well Services of Houston,Texas to assess and extinguish the fire at the well head. The OSC continues to work within a unified command structure with the local EMA coordinator, TDEC and TEMA. EPA, with START contractor support, will conduct air monitoring and site oversight as needed throughout the response.
Walden Resources contractor, Wild Well Services continued mobing equipment from local sources and Texas to prepare for the oil rig extraction as well as extinguishing the fire at the oil well head. Several acres of land near the perimeter of the well were cleared and secondary retention ponds were being built. A large amount of fire-fighting water will be required to gain access to the well head and eventual fire extinguishing. Once the fire is extinguished, the retention ponds will serve as secondary oil and water recovery points.
Anderson County EMA, TDEC, TEMA and EPA continue to work with the rp in a unified structure to facilitate the response effort.
EPA and the RP held a public meeting at 4:00 pm on Friday, March 21st. Several residents in the vicinity of the oil well had specific environmental concerns related to possible health effects for family members as well as concerns for livestock at a few farms along Wrights and Indian Creeks. The health related questions will be referred to ATSDR/CDC and EPA is addressing livestock concerns with EPA ERT and USDA. Individual property assessments are planned for the next few days to address all concerns.
EPA and START contractors continue air monitoring efforts. No elevated levels of hydrogen sulfide, volatile organics or sulfur dioxide have been found in the vicinity of the well fire. Two water samples were collected along Wrights Creek to address local resident concerns.
Wild Well Services will continue to prepare the area around the well head for eventual extinguishing.
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