An explosion at an east Texas natural gas well Monday night prompted evacuations and shelter-in-place orders in Nacogdoches County, authorities said.
Dispatchers received calls about a loud explosion in the Etoile area at 11:17 p.m., and deputies found a large fire passing through the Woden area when they responded, according to the county’s sheriff’s office. Workers evacuated the natural gas well site without any injuries, authorities said.
The fire was contained by late Tuesday morning, and personnel from a Houston well control emergency response company had arrived to continue taming the flames.
Revenant Energy was operating on the property on the 15000 block of Farm to Market Road 226 in Etoile, Kevin Meyer, a Nacogdoches city spokesperson, said.
The Plano-based oil and gas company JTdCJTBBJTIwJTIwJTIwJTIwJTIyX190eXBlJTIyJTNBJTIwJTIyZGV2SHViRnJlZWZvcm1FbWJlZCUyMiUyQyUwQSUwOSUyMl9faWQlMjIlM0ElMjAlMjJEYXRhd3JhcHBlciUyMiUyQyUwQSUwOSUyMl9fZmFsbGJhY2tJbWFnZSUyMiUzQSUyMCUyMmh0dHBzJTNBJTJGJTJGZGF0YXdyYXBwZXIuZHdjZG4ubmV0JTJGSWpDdTclMkZtb2JpbGUucG5nJTIyJTJDJTBBJTA5JTIyX19kYXRhJTIyJTNBJTIwJTdCJTBBJTA5JTIwJTIwJTIwJTIwJTIyZGF0YXdyYXBwZXJfaWQlMjIlM0ElMjAlMjJJakN1NyUyMiUwQSUwOSU3RCUwQSU3RA==obtained permits from the Texas Railroad Commission to drill wells in the area in December, agency records show. The company plans to drill 32 natural gas wells and build a pipeline in nearby Angelina National Forest — a project that the Trump administration fast-tracked last fall.
The Chronicle reached out to Revenant Energy for further comments.
The fire Monday night resulted from a blowout, which is a release of natural gas caused by failed pressure, officials said. Farm to Market Road 226 shut down between Highway 103 and the Kingtown area.
Residents of three homes that were evacuated on County Road 561 would remain off-site until further notice, but there would likely be no further evacuations, Meyer said. He previously said locals were cleared to return to their homes after officials asked residents on County Roads 560, 559 and 5591 to shelter in place or voluntarily evacuate.
Authorities urged commuters to avoid the area so heavy firefighting equipment could get to and from FM 226.
Houston-based Wild Well Control responded to the scene where workers were drilling before the blast, Meyer said. Local fire departments, the Texas Department of Public Safety, Texas Division of Emergency Management also responded, alongside city and county officials.
Parents should monitor Woden ISD’s bus routes for potential effects, officials said.
The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality would monitor air quality conditions.
Authorities said there is likely no further danger, but the situation could suddenly change.
“Residents who remain in the area should be on notice and ready to evacuate if needed,” a Facebook post by the Nacogdoches County Sheriff’s Office reads. “We will keep you up to date as this situation further evolves.”