Update: Injection Well Fire in Keene.

Monday, an injection well in Keene caught fire. We now know the man who was burned is from Chico in Wise County and was working for Chico Auto Parts but we still don’t know his condition. He was taken to Parkland in Dallas.

Apparently no one’s talking much about the incident. We know the man was doing some kind of maintenance. The Wise County Messenger reports that an engine backfired.

Keene’s fire chief Matt Gillin said the fire started after a gas-powered pump used to separate oil, sand and gravel backfired.

“The engine backfired and the entire pit covered with oil caught on fire,” Gillin said. “Two trucks also caught on fire.”

Chico Auto Parts won’t comment on the worker’s condition or his identity.

Bridgeport Tank Trucks operates the injection well but they did not return calls from the Messneger.

It’s not surprising to me that no more information is forthcoming. Everyone involved wants to keep it quite and hope we all soon forget.

There is a troubling sentence in the Messenger article written by Brandon Evans who I believe is new to that paper.

Saltwater is a byproduct of extracting oil and gas from the Barnett Shale. The saltwater is then injected deep into the ground in wells spread throughout North Texas. But before the saltwater is pumped into the ground, all oil product contained in the mixture is first extracted.

Long, drawn-out sigh.

This is exactly what they want us to believe–that only saltwater is injected into the injection wells. That’s not true. There’s a long list of chemicals listed on the injection well permits. See for yourself. Now why would they need a permit to pump all those chemicals into the injection well if all they intend to inject is saltwater?

Brandon? If you carry water for oil and gas, don’t drink any!