TVFD: Gas fire burns out

The gas fire that exploded on Highway 724 near the Newburg community in Franklin County Jan. 20 has been suppressed, according to Tharptown Volunteer Fire Department Chief Doug Coan.

Three men with Gentry Drilling Company were drilling for water when their equipment hit a natural gas pocket, causing a fiery explosion. The drilling was taking place at a group of new chicken houses on the property in Newburg.

According to authorities on the scene, while the men were working, they heard a rush of air, and an almost instant ignition set fire to the three men. All suffered burns to their faces and hands and were airlifted to the University of Alabama Birmingham burn unit.

Coan said the natural gas had been seeping out for some time during the drilling before it ignited.

“These guys had no idea they had run into natural gas,” Coan said. Their clothing was saturated with the colorless odorless gas, without them knowing. “That’s where they got their extreme burns from – their clothing.”

Kenneth Gentry, sole proprietor for Gentry Drilling Company, said his employees were released from UAB but then re-evaluated at the Vanderbilt burn unit and received the care they needed there. Each of the men is due back for a re-check, according to Gentry. “My guys are healing, and hopefully they will be back to work shortly,” he said. “Everything is healing up quite well. We’re really proud of their recovery.”

Authorities evacuated the area of Highway 724 from Highway 83 to Highway 75.  The road was closed to through traffic until Jan. 27.

The area experienced the greatest amount of gas output in the first two days – about 50-60 pounds of pressure, Coan said. “It looked like we had a lifetime thing,” he said. “It looked like it was just going to burn.” But the problem, perhaps surprising, was not that the fire kept burning – but rather the fear of the opposite.

“The real danger of this was not it burning; it was if the fire went out,” Coan said. “As long as we could keep that gas burning off, everything was great.”

When the fire flickered and died, fire officials had to worry about the gas being carried on the wind to a more dangerous ignition source that would threaten area residents.

Following state guidelines, Coan said two firefighters watched the fire every minute. Flames started receding Thursday night, and the fire went out the morning of Jan. 27. Coan was on the scene at the time and attempted to re-light the seeping gas with a road flare, but “it wouldn’t stay burning,” he said. “It would puff like a heater, going off and on.”

That being the case, Coan said they brought in equipment to finally remove the broken and melted rig and pipes.

“We got all the piping out and the rig moved,” Coan said. “It got so hot it collapsed … We had to get two bulldozers to pull the rig out.”

Coan added, “There was no way the first couple days you could even think about moving the rig.”

After that removal, Coan said, Chris Wallace pumped concrete into the well to close it and seal it off – eliminating the threat from the gas.

Coan said considering the amount of gas spewing from the ground, the relative wellbeing of the men doing the drilling – one of whom is Gentry’s son – was something to be thankful for. “They are really blessed to be alive,” Coan said. “It’s going to take a long time to heal.”

According to Coan, the Gentry team had drilled only 284 feet when they hit the natural gas pocket, which makes it an oddity. “I’ve had people come from drilling rigs and say there’s never been anything like this,” said Coan, pointing out that such gas pockets are usually at least 1,500 feet down. “That’s really very rare.”

Coan had a clear message for the community his department serves.

“We had their safety and welfare No. 1 in this whole situation,” Coan said. “We spent a week with this fire around the clock to be on the safe side. There were a lot of people concerned and some displaced from their homes for a short period of time.” But people are back in there homes now, and Coan said this area poses no future threat.

Gentry said he appreciates the patience of those who live in this area while he, the TVFD, state authorities and other officials have done what was needed to rectify a completely unexpected situation. “We were drilling for a water well, not gas,” Gentry emphasized. “We were very surprised to have gas at that shallow depth. It created quite a disturbance in the neighborhood.”

Gentry said he hated that the situation had inconvenienced people but was thankful no one was seriously injured or in danger – including his workers, who should make a full recovery. Because as Gentry said – oil rigs can be replaced, but people can’t.

He commended the fire department and chief for securing the location and keeping everyone safe and said he looks forward to being in the area again in the future, continuing years of successful drilling in Franklin County.