It could be a week or more before a Texas oil rig fire burns itself out. The fire, on a rig located outside the town of Milano, began around 3:00 a.m. Sunday morning, has already been burning for more than 50 hours.
Oklahoma City-based Slawson Exploration set up the rig on October 14, and had been drilling for oil. Neighbors near the site of the blast told kxxv-TV that the fire started with a “boom” that sounded like thunder.
“The sky lit up, and you know, it was pretty scary,” John Bankston told kxxv, while standing at the edge of his property, the fire still raging in the background.
According to TheEagle.com, the fire was contained to the immediate area by Sunday afternoon. No injuries were reported, but people in neighboring counties reported being able to see the blaze. Authorities say the fire does not appear to pose any threat to surrounding properties
Volunteer fire companies from Milano, Rockdale, Black Jack and Caldwell counties all responded to the blaze. Boots and Coots, a Houston company trained in fighting oil-rig fires, was on the scene Sunday by daybreak.
The cause of the oil rig fire, while not known, does not appear to be suspicious.
Damages to the site are estimated to exceed several million dollars, according to TheEagle.com.
