Blast at Chesapeake Marcellus site

Fire: Cheseapeake shuts in production after blast

SCANPIX/AP/WPXI.COM

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By News Wires

 24 February 2011 17:28 GMT

A flash fire at a Chesapeake-operated natural gas liquids storage tank last night in south-western Pennsylvania injured three workers and forced Chesapeake to shut in production at the Marcellus shale site, the company said.

The fire broke out at the company's Powers well site in Avella, Pennsylvania, at about 6:15 pm local time.

It was extinguished about three hours later, Chesapeake spokesman Stacey Brodak said.

"The cause of the fire is not known," Dow Jones quoted Brodak as saying. "All wells are shut in and there is no danger to the area residents or threat to the environment."

"The wells involved had already been completed, including hydraulic fracture stimulation," Brodak said, adding that efforts are underway to keep the storage tanks cool.

He said there will be an investigation…

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