Natural gas fire left to burn itself out

Fire continued to rise from the ground last night at a construction site near the intersection of James and Molloy streets as what once was an inferno was reduced to a small flame left to burn itself out.

The last bursts from the subterranean gas pocket hit accidentally by a drilling crew Monday continue to yield enough vapor to burn the controlled flame located on the construction sites of future homes of the Eric Golden and Todd Willmore families. According to McMinnville Fire Chief Kevin Lawrence, it is hoped the pocket will drain itself soon and the fire will go out permanently.

Firemen battled the fire for two days after a team drilling to install a geothermal heating system hit a natural gas pocket about 260 feet below the surface.

A backfire from the truck which held the drilling derrick ignited the escaping gas, slightly burning one crewman and leaving flames shooting up to 40 feet in the air.

Firemen poured water on the flames continually for over 24 hours before a well capping team from Texas was brought in Tuesday.

While stopping the flames, it was later decided to re-ignite the fire to allow the gas pocket to empty, thereby preventing future issues at the site. The new fire is controlled and does not require attention by the fire department.

According to Lawrence, it is anyone’s guess how much gas is contained in the well. For safety sake, he said it is best to make sure the chamber is empty before trying to remove the deep-drilling apparatus still in the hole.

According to Jeff Golden, whose house is next door, the fire has flickered out already on a couple of occasions, perhaps indicating the gas pocket is running low.