Bad day in the Permian basin

[okietool]

http://www.currentargus.com/ci_25664078/eddy-county-sheriffs-department-responding-reports-oil-rig

Police identify Artesia man killed in oilfield explosion

2 dead, 9 injured after explosion near Orla, Texas

By Jessica Onsurez
[email protected]
Jon Smith
[email protected]

Posted: 04/30/2014 09:19:11 AM MDT





Orla, Texas -- Two men are dead after a pressure explosion at a drill site in Orla, Texas early Wednesday morning. The Loving County Sheriff's Department identified Amos Ortega, 46 of Artesia, as one of the victims. The second victim has not yet been identified but law enforcement officials say he is from El Paso.
Nine others were injured in the accident but suffered only minor cuts, lacerations and bruising from shrapnel pushed into the air by the explosion. They were examined at the scene by medical personnel but refused transportation to a local hospital. Sheriff Deputy Chris Busse said there were up to 15 people on site at the time of the explosion.
The explosion near Orla, Texas, approximately 50 miles from Carlsbad, was the first oil-and-gas-related accident for Loving County this year, according to Busse.
An investigation by the Loving Sheriff's Department is still pending, but law enforcement said that a pressure build-up was to blame. "Workers for RKI (the company who operated the site) were putting in a well head ... and the pressure line built up and there was a pressure explosion," Busse said. "It's a sad day in Loving County."
Loving County Sheriff Billy Hopper said the department began receiving calls of an explosion around 8 a.m.
Carlsbad resident Juwana Kinniburgh said her boyfriend, an employee of AmeriField, was at the site during the explosion. He had to drive six miles to get a cell signal to call 911, she said.
"They (employees) were able to shut down valves and get the area secured by the time EMS arrived," Busse said.
RKI Exploration & Production, which has offices in Carlsbad, could not be reached for comment. RKI's headquarters are in Oklahoma City. Employees at the Carlsbad office declined to comment on the incident.
Hopper said the company has been operating in the county area for three to four years.


Glass and debris were visible around the site and the explosion shattered window shields and deployed the air bags of several vehicles at the scene, Busse said. The Loving County Sheriff's office reported a large number of calls from residents miles around the site who said they felt the concussion from the explosion.
Deputies from Loving County still on site Wednesday afternoon were awaiting the arrival of a medical examiner before transporting the bodies to a local funeral home.
Original reports of the accident saying that the explosion involved an oil rig and belonged to Chaparral energy and Anadarko Petroleum Corporation were incorrect. Busse said RKI, who he identified as the main company at the site, will be conducting an independent investigation. Hopper said Occupational Safety and Health Administration will also be conducting an investigation along with the Texas Railroad Commission.
Reporter Jessica Onsurez may be reached at (575)491-4682.

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Earlier:
12:25 pm.: ORLA Texas -- An Artesia man is among the victims of Wednesday morning's fatal oilfield accident near Orla, Texas. The man, who law enforcement officials haven't yet publicly identified, is around 46 years old. The other victim is an El Paso man who was born in 1973, according to the Loving County Sheriff's Department.
Glass and debris were visible around the site Wednesday morning. Witnesses said the explosion shattered windshields and deployed airbags of vehicles parked near the area. About 15 people were on site at the time of the explosion.
A woman on scene who said she was the girlfriend of the site supervisor told Current-Argus reporters workers weren't immediately able to report the incident because of a lack of cell phone service in the area. She said her boyfriend had to drive six miles to obtain a cell signal to call 911.
10:54 a.m.: ORLA, Texas -- Deputies with the Loving County Sheriff's Department say the injury count from Wednesday morning's oilfield incident has risen to nine. Two people were killed around 8 a.m. Wednesday after a wellhead exploded because of a pressure buildup. Deputies are waiting for a medical examiner to arrive on scene. The nine people who were injured refused medical treatment, according to deputies. Investigators initially said the site may belong to Anadarko Petroleum Corporation and may be operated by Chaparral Drilling. John Christiansen, director of external communications for Anadarko, said the company has no affiliation with the site.
10:28 a.m.: ORLA, Texas -- The sheriff in Loving County, Texas, has confirmed that two people are dead and four are injured after an early-morning explosion at an oil rig. Loving County Sheriff Billy Hopper said he received a call shortly after 8 a.m. local time on Wednesday about the accident. He dispatched two deputies to the scene.
Various other sheriff's departments in the area, including Eddy County, were contacted for assistance, he said.
Hopper said communication is extremely difficult because of the remote location.
"Out in those parts, our communication is almost next to nothing," he said.
Hopper said he has not received an update since 9:30 a.m.
Hopper said the explosion may have occurred on a rig, but said the accident involved a "separator explosion." According to Wikipedia, a separator is a pressurized device used to separate well fluids from oil and gas wells.
9:40 a.m.: CBS 7 out of Odessa, Texas is reporting two people are dead following an oil rig explosion 12 miles east of Orla on Ranch-to-Market Road 652. Four people are injured, according to the television station's report. CBS 7 story.
9:00 a.m.: The Eddy County Sheriff's Department is responding to reports of an oil rig explosion near Orla, Texas. Orla is just over the state line, about 48 miles southeast of Carlsbad.
Emergency dispatchers in Pecos, Texas, told a Current-Argus reporter that the Pecos police chief is the only person authorized to speak on the matter and he was not immediately available to answer questions. Employees who answered the phone at the Eddy County Regional Dispatch Center in Artesia told a Current-Argus reporter that deputies were responding to the scene, but couldn't yet provide details because the incident occurred in Texas.
Keep watching CurrentArgus.com for updates on this developing situation.

I was also on NM 128 at about mile marker 8 when they had a medi flight chopper landed in the high way. I'm not sure what that one was about.
I talked to a BLM guy that said they had been asked to help control traffic because there were 4 medi flight incidents going at the same time.

On an unrelated note, I talked to a DOE employee that is out at the WIPP sight where there was the recent radiation release. He says it's not a big deal, but the media is having a field day with it.

Bread and circuses.

Please have a thought for the guys killed today just trying to make a living.

 

[BadgeBunny]

That is awful. Prayers to the family and friends of the deceased ...

 

[SoonerBorn]

That is crappy news. Those guys work their butts off and they make sure I have instant energy at the touch of a button. I think about what that entails a lot. Producers. Pure and simple. I appreciate their work immensely.


Sent from my meh, using my meh.

 

[okietool]

Yeah. I've done this for a living for over 40 years. And what they say happened doesn't make much sense to me.

But it could be poorly constructed equipment or just bad/incomplete information.

I don't know if the patch has just hit a rough spot or we're really doing a crappy job keeping people safe.

I know there are way too many fatalities in the Permian right now. And I know a bunch of them are driving.

The last time I heard of something like this, a guy had pulled the inspection plate off to clean out a separator and had (allegedly against instructions) fired up a cigarette. That was a long time ago, around 1980 / 81.

 

[dennishoddy]

The reason this is one of the most dangerous jobs on earth.

My thoughts go out to the victims and family's.

 

[okietool]

http://www.forbes.com/pictures/efkk45emddl/americas-deadliest-jobs-2/

My guess for #1 would have been driving, truck taxi or something.

 

[Biggsly]

were putting in a well head ... and the pressure line built up and there was a pressure explosion
This does not make much sense. I wonder if someone was pumping into a closed valve. I also wonder if it was a snubbing unit, or coil unit. Everytime something like this happens there is 10 stories, before we hear what really happened.
My prayers go out to them. I have done a lot of work in that area.

 

[okietool]

were putting in a well head ... and the pressure line built up and there was a pressure explosion
This does not make much sense. I wonder if someone was pumping into a closed valve. I also wonder if it was a snubbing unit, or coil unit. Everytime something like this happens there is 10 stories, before we hear what really happened.
My prayers go out to them. I have done a lot of work in that area.

The rumor I heard was it was a drilling rig, but production or flow back hook up makes more sense. The number of injured is high to be on a drilling rig too.

The second part if the rumor was it's an Anadarko location.

One of my rigs is moving in less than 15 miles from there now.

 

[Oklahomabassin]

Bad deal, prayers for all involved and the families of the deceased.
Hopefully something is learned from this.

 

[dennishoddy]

Bad deal, prayers for all involved and the families of the deceased.
Hopefully something is learned from this.

OSHA will make sure that happens. Good or bad....