Marcellus Gas Tanks Catch Fire

A malfunctioning heater in a gas collection tank caused the 400-barrel tank in Washington County to catch fire this morning. The MarkWest Liberty Midstream Resources compressor station in Mount Pleasant caught fire around 5:15 this morning. The fire caused the hatch of an adjacent tank to blow off due to the heat. A worker used a fire extinguisher to put out the fire about 40 minutes after it started. Both tanks were essentially empty with only residual gas remaining inside. A third tank about 10-percent full of flowback water did not ignite.
Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection spokesperson Katy Gresh says an inspector was on the scene shortly after the accident was called into 911. He left the compressor station after determining there was no release of contaminated water and there was no ongoing threat to the environment.