Fire Erupts as Drillers Hit Methane on Ranch
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Firefighters Saturday morning extinguished a fountain of flame that erupted when a crew drilling a water well on a Thousand Oaks ranch struck a pocket of methane, authorities said.
One member of the crew received minor burns on his hands and face when the drill hit and ignited the gas about 600 feet beneath the surface at 7:45 p.m. Friday, said Vicki Crabtree, a dispatcher for the Ventura County Fire Department.
The private water well was being drilled by Ike’s Pump & Drilling Co. of Oxnard at Sandstone Ranch on Hidden Valley Road, Crabtree said.
Firefighters soaked the area around the rig with water to keep flames from reaching a shed containing explosives and tanks of gasoline and diesel fuel, Crabtree said. No structures were damaged.
The fire, which was allowed to burn freely until cement was poured into the hole at 2 a.m., caused $200,000 damage to the drilling rig, she said.
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