Five Injured after Explosion at West Virginia Fracking Site

An explosion at a West Virginia fracking site injured at least five people on Sunday, July 7, as reported by the Chicago Tribune. Five workers were taken to a hospital for burns as a result of the explosion at the West Virginia fracking site. The explosion prompted state and federal investigations.

The West Virginia fracking site is operated by Antero Resources, an oil and natural gas company controlled by Warburg Pincus LLC. An Antero representative said the company does not know the ignition source but suspects it was a methane explosion. It is speculated that a problem during the “flow back” process–a process common in fracking–triggered the explosion and fire. Flow back occurs when waste water (also called “flowback water”) returns to the surface after the fracking process is completed.This waste water is often contained in steel tanks until it can be stored long-term. According to Antero, two storage tanks exploded at 4 a.m. on Sunday, July 7.

Recently, growing health concerns associated with fracking have gained media attention. We reported yesterday about a study that revealed air pollutants at various West Virginia fracking sites.

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