Well blowout near Van Hook
Well blowout near Van Hook
By Jerry W. Kram
An oil well just east of Van Hook blew out Tuesday evening. Officials and safety teams from Slawson Exploration were on the scene Wednesday morning and said they would attempt to close off the well later that day.
The well produced a roar as it sprayed a yellow-brown mist high into the air. At time the plume dwarfed the oil derrick that is more than 100 feet tall. It was a scene reminiscent of the old time movies of the oil industry that always ended with a “gusher” and all the cast hugging each other in celebration. But no one was celebrating at the scene of this accidental gusher.
Kyle Waliezer, a spokesperson for Slawson Exploration on the scene, said that equipment failure was the most likely cause of of the incident, which occurred approximately 6 p.m. Tuesday. A special team was flown in from Colorado to deal with the incident and they arrived in Minot at about 11:45 p.m. Tuesday.
