Four injured in explosion, flash fire

Four men suffered burns during an explosion and flash fire Monday afternoon at the Inergy Midstream L.L.C. storage facility.

The explosion took place at approximately 1 p.m. at the underground natural gas storage facility, located at 7535 Eagle Valley Road.

According to state police at Bath, the incident occurred while a private contracting firm, Gas Field Specialists Inc., was drilling into an empty underground storage cavern.

During the project the drill apparently struck a pocket of unknown gas which rose to the surface through the drill opening.

The contractors attempted to flee when they realized gas was escaping. As the men ran away, the gas was ignited by a running motor located near the drilling platform, engulfing the workers.

Those injured, according to state police:

- Ronald Barrett, 39, of Sayre, Pa.

- Jed West, 22, of Pavilion.

- Tanner West, 19, of Pavilion.

- Rodney West, 47, of Pavilion.

Barrett works for Inergy. He suffered burns to more than 25 percent of his body. He was airlifted by Mercy Flight to Strong Memorial Hospital in Rochester. He was listed in guarded condition Monday evening, according to a hospital spokesperson.

The other three injured men work for Gas Field Specialists, based in Shinglehouse, Pa. The business is owned by the West family.

Jed West suffered burns to his face, head and hands. He was airlifted by Mercy Flight to Strong Memorial Hospital, where he was listed in satisfactory condition.

Tanner West was burned on his face, neck, and hand. He was taken by ambulance to Ira Davenport Memorial Hospital in Bath, where he was treated and released.

Rodney West, the father of Jed and Tanner West, was burned on his face, head and hand. He was taken by ambulance to Ira Davenport, and later transferred to Strong Memorial, where he was listed in satisfactory condition.

Randy Nemecek, regional supervisor for natural resources at the state Department of Environmental Conservation, said the facility is stable and there is no further gas leakage.

The DEC is trying to identify the source of the pocket of gas, Nemecek said. The investigation is ongoing.

According to scanner reports, the explosion was called in by a state trooper who had pulled over a truck along Interstate Highway 86, which is several hundred yards north of the facility, across the Conhocton River.

Local police, firefighters and ambulance crews quickly converged on the scene.

Entrances to the facility were immediately shut down. Upon arrival, fire crews were told to shut down their equipment, presumably to avoid triggering further explosions, according to scanner reports.

The facility, formerly Bath Petroleum Storage Inc., is owned by Missouri-based Inergy L.P., which purchased it for $31 million in November 2006. The facility includes a series of underground storage caverns.

Savona residents reported smelling an odor of natural gas Monday morning. It was not immediately clear if the reported odor was connected to the incident at the storage facility.