Flame out, gas still flowing at Prud'homme natural gas site

The fire that has been burning for a week is out today at the natural gas storage facility near Prud'homme, Sask., but there's more work to be done before people who live nearby can return home.

SaskEnergy officials say the fire started after an accidental release of gas last Saturday morning. Since then, a company that specializes in fighting oilfield fires was called in to get close, and find out how to fight it. Initial attempts to close valves showed it needed a new well head on Wednesday. 

Workers were able to get a new well head installed over the cavern overnight, according to SaskEnergy spokesman Dave Burdeniuk, and the fire was no longer burning by Saturday morning. 

"Just before that well head was lowered into place, a special fire suppressant material was sprayed on that fire and the fire did go out. They did lower the well head through the streaming gas and bolted that well head in place," Burdeniuk explained. 

Natural gas still venting out

Gas continues venting through the well head, flowing up through the 8-metre pipe, and into the air. Burdeniuk said the next step for workers is to insert a plug through the well head, into the natural gas storage cavern, to seal off the cavern. While the fire situation has improved, Burdeniuk says that has to happen before 13 people who live nearby will be given the all-clear to get back to their homes. 

"That could take some time, as with every step along the way that we've done here over the last week, we will be very careful with planning and putting safety first," Burdeniuk said. "We hope to have that phase completed just as quickly as we can."

Burdeniuk said SaskEnergy hopes to have those people back in their homes later Saturday, though it's not clear how long it will take. 

"Until we can get that site secure, we don't feel comfortable in having those people back home," Burdeniuk said. "These things take time, and we're being very careful in every stage that we're doing to address what happened."

'Still gas in the cavern'

Burdeniuk said the crews are still working on responding to the immediate emergency, so they haven't been able to calculate how much gas is left in the cavern. 

At this point, SaskEnergy knows there is still gas in the cavern because flames were still burning at more than 30 metres in the air during the week. 

The fire that has been burning for a week is out today at the natural gas storage facility near Prud'homme, Sask., but there's more work to be done before people who live nearby can return home.- Dave Burdeniuk, SaskEnergy

"We know we've lost a volume of gas out of that, possible at least half the gas in that cavern, maybe even more. But there still is a supply in there and we just want to make sure that's sealed off and then the full investigation will proceed," said Burdeniuk.

Burdeniuk said SaskEnergy will be looking at the well head that failed to see if it was a result of a manufacturing issue, or whether there are additional safety or maintenance procedures that need to be done. 

Site not yet secured

Thirteen people from four nearby homes have been staying with relatives or in hotels. Burdeniuk said it's a relief that nobody was hurt in the past week, including those working around the fire. The next step is to get the plug completed to seal the cavern, and to get people back home. 

"We will get those residents back in as quickly as we can, and that's kind of the next phase for us is to get that secured and give the all clear."

Burdeniuk said he's hoping that can be completed sometime on Saturday, but it could take longer.