12:45 p.m. Update:

Chesapeake denies its well exploded

RON HOSIE
the dailyreview.com
Published: January 28, 2010
The incident involving a Chesapeake Energy natural gas well this morning in Tuscarora Township [in Bradford Co., PA] was not an explosion, a company spokesman said early this afternoon.

Brian Grove, Chesapeake's director of corporate development in Towanda, in a prepared statement, described what happened as "a brief but forceful uplift of tubing." He specifically denied that the phenomenon was an explosion.

Three employees of a contract company were transported to a hospital, he said, but none had critical injuiries.

"There was no release of any materials that could be harmful to the environment and the situation presents no danger to the public. This is all the information that is available at this time," Grove said in the statement.

According to transmissions over Wyoming County 911 communications at the time of the incident, an explosion took place at the Mowry well site of Chesapeake Energy on Clapper Hill in Tuscarora Township.

One person was thrown in the air 30 feet, and suffered back pain and injuries to his wrist and another individual sustained back pain, according to preliminary reports.

Emergency crews were called out, according to the scanner transmission, but there was no visible fire. Laceyville Fire Chief Scott Fisher refused to comment at mid-morning, saying he wouild need to finish his report first.

Jim Vajda, Bradford County's Emergency Management Agency director was reported on the scene and unavailable for immediate comment.
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