The conventional well, owned by Kriebel Natural Gas Co., LLC, exploded and caught fire shortly before 1:00 p.m. on March 19, according to the Manor Volunteer Fire Department Facebook page.
DEP arrived on the scene just before 2:20 p.m. and met with the Manor Volunteer Fire Department, Westmoreland City Fire Department and representatives of the well owner to help assess the site to determine any environmental impacts..
At the time of DEP’s arrival, the well owner was attempting to shut down a gas leak from the well casing annulus and remove the remaining wastewater from a damaged storage tank at the well.
DEP said in its inspection report “It appears that a complete [wheel] rim set with a brake drum and tires had come off a trailer being hauled down [the road] which then came in contact with the well.
“That impact broke off the [well] casing annulus wing from the wellhead and caused the escaping gas to then ignite.”
The first responders reported using 3,200 gallons of water mixed with Dawn dish soap to extinguish the fire.
Damage to the well equipment included a melted hole in the wastewater storage tank that leaked fluid around the tank and down a drainage way for about 180 feet, but there did not appear to be an impact to a stream, DEP said.
Read DEP’s inspection reports for more information and photos: DEP Inspection Part I and DEP Inspection Part II.
Visit the Manor Volunteer Fire Department and Westmoreland City Fire Department Facebook pages for more.
Report Violations
To report oil and gas violations or any environmental emergency or complaint, visit DEP’s Environmental Complaint webpage.
Text photos and the location of abandoned wells to 717-788-8990.
Check These Resources
Visit DEP’s Compliance Reporting Database and Inspection Reports Viewer webpages to search their compliance records by date and owner.
Sign up for DEP’s eNOTICE service which sends you information on oil and gas and other permits submitted to DEP for review in your community.
Use DEP’s Oil and Gas Mapping Tool to find if there are oil and gas wells near or on your property and to find wells using latitude and longitude on well inspection reports.
[Note: If you believe your company was listed in error, contact DEP’s Oil and Gas Program.]
[Note: These may not be all the NOVs issued to oil and gas companies during this time period. Additional inspection reports may be added to DEP’s Oil and Gas Compliance Database.]
PA Oil & Gas Industry Compliance/Notice Dashboard:
-- PA Oil & Gas Weekly Compliance Dashboard - March 15 to 21: 42 More Conventional, 7 More Shale Gas Abandoned Wells; Mine Subsidence Under Compressor Station; Conventional Gas Well Explosion; 2 Shale Gas Companies Fail To Report Shale Gas Waste Generation, Production In 12 Counties [PaEN]
-- Mine Subsidence Found Under Olympus Energy/Hyperion Natural Gas Compressor Station Construction Site In Penn Twp., Westmoreland County [PaEN]
-- Volunteer Firefighters, DEP Respond To Conventional Gas Well Explosion, Fire In Westmoreland County [PaEN]
-- DEP Issues One Conventional Well Owner 36 Violations For Abandoning Their Conventional Wells; 7 More Violations Issued To Shale Gas Drillers For Abandoning Wells [PaEN]
-- DEP Issued Violations To Range Resources, LPR Energy For Not Filing Shale Gas Production And Waste Generation Reports In 12 Counties [PaEN]
-- PA Oil & Gas Industrial Facilities: Permit Notices, Opportunities To Comment - March 22 [PaEN]
-- DEP Posted 115 Pages Of Permit-Related Notices In March 22 PA Bulletin [PaEN]
Related Articles This Week:
-- DEP To Host April 1 Webinar On New Program To Reduce Methane Pollution From Oil And Gas Operations [PaEN]
-- Environmental Health Project To Hold April 1 Webinar On What The Shapiro Administration Can Do To Better Protect Public Health From The Impacts Of Shale Gas Development [PaEN]
-- Environmental Health Project Seeking Communities To Participate In HealthWatch Program To Better Understand Local Health Impacts Of Shale Gas Development [PaEN]
-- Presentations Posted From 2025 Shale Gas & Public Health Conference Featuring Health Experts, Scientists, Advocacy Groups, Workers On Health, Environmental Impacts Of Shale Gas Development [PaEN]
-- Center For Coalfield Justice To DEP: Harmon Natural Gas Processing Plant Should Be Required To Apply For A Full Title V Air Quality Permit As They Originally Proposed In Washington County [PaEN]
-- Capital And Main - Audrey Carleton: The Little Town Of Cecil Township, Washington County That Stood Up To Big Shale Gas And Set More Protective Setback Distances And Now Faces Legal Challenges From 2 Shale Gas Drillers
-- Susquehanna River Basin Commission Approves New Into-Basin Transfer General Permit, Water Withdrawals, Including 6 Shale Gas Development Water Withdrawals [PaEN]
-- Susquehanna River Basin Commission Approved 34 Shale Gas Well Pad Water Use General Permits In January [PaEN]
-- The Derrick: Hearing Dates Set On Rhodes Estates Water Companies; PUC Judge Urges Parties To ‘Seriously Explore’ Settlements [Venango Water Co. Impacted By Conventional Oil Well Wastewater Spill] [PaEN]
-- Penn State Extension: April 2 Webinar: Gravity Energy Storage - Giving Inactive Oil Wells A Second Life [PaEN]
-- Penn State Research: Reusing Old Oil And Gas Wells For Energy Storage Using Compressed Air Technology [PaEN]
NewsClips:
-- Inquirer - Frank Kummer: PA Attorney General Launches Criminal Investigation Into Energy Transfer/Sunoco Pipeline Spill In Bucks County
-- Spotlight PA: Federal Money To Plug PA’s Oil & Gas Wells Abandoned By Their Owners Is Unfrozen, But Federal Uncertainty Plagues Contractors
-- Observer-Reporter: Shale Gas Industry Leaders Reflect On Industry’s Direction At Range Resources Event [PDF of Article]
-- Wilkes-Barre Times: Shapiro Administration Plugs 300 Abandoned Conventional Oil & Gas Wells Across PA
-- Warren Times: Warren City Council Approves Conventional Drilling Permit Near Betts Park
-- PUC To Hold Hearings Starting April 7 On Proposed UGI Gas Rate Increase Of Up To 10.8%
-- Inquirer - Frank Kummer/Kristen Graham: Philadelphia Gas Works Explores Heating, Cooling Philly School And City Rec Center With Geothermal Energy
-- The Allegheny Front - Reid Frazier: Report: Shell Petrochemical Plant In Beaver County Could Be Up For Sale
-- The Allegheny Front: As Fracking At Ohio’s Largest State Park Gets Underway, How The Industry Has Changed This Rural County
-- Inside Climate News: EPA Considers Giving Oil & Gas Companies More ‘Flexibility’ To Dispose Of Their Highly Toxic Wastewater
-- The Hill: Texas Workers Face Mounting Dangers In The Heart Of America’s Greatest Oil & Gas Boom [Part I]
-- The Hill: Deregulation Push By President, Texas Republicans Sparks Hope And Fear In The Oil & Gas Fields [Part II]
-- The Hill: Texans Grapple With Rising Toxic Pollution As Oil, Gas Production Booms [Part III]
-- Reuters: US Natural Gas Prices Up On Record Flows To LNG Gas Export Plants
-- Bloomberg: ‘Drill, Baby, Drill’ Mantra Set To Make US LNG Gas Exports Less Competitive
-- Reuters: US EIA Reports US Natural Gas Pipeline Completions Boosted LNG Gas Takeaway Capacity For 2 Years In A Row
-- Bloomberg Opinion: Cheaper Power Is Too ‘Woke’ For Texas Republicans; State Debating Bills To Boost Natural Gas, Restrain Renewables
[Posted: March 22, 2025] PA Environment Digest
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