UPDATED: Gas ignites at well, injuring workers

The same Belle Isle natural gas well where a blowout occurred Sunday ignited Tuesday afternoon, injuring at least four people.
Some of the injured came to Morgan City for treatment. The injured are reported to have sustained burns to their hands and faces, said Patrick Courreges, a spokesman for the Louisiana Department of Natural Resources. The agency regulates in-state energy production.
The Louisiana State Police is in charge of the incident response at the site, Courreges said.
Trooper Thomas Gossen said Wednesday morning that four people were taken to hospitals with “extremity burns” but they don’t look as though they are life-threatening. Wild Well Control told The Advocate that a minimum of four people suffered burns to their hands and faces. The newspaper reported all four were employed by Wild Well Control.
Gossen said he was told others went to the hospital where they were checked out.
Baton Rouge TV station WAFB in Baton Rouge reported eight injured.
Ochsner St. Mary spokeswoman Sabrina Williams said three people arrived in their own vehicles at the Morgan City hospital’s Emergency Department.
“Our thoughts and prayers are with those impacted by today’s event,” Williams said Tuesday in a statement from the hospital Tuesday. “As medical professionals, caring for our communities is our sole focus. Ochsner has provided emergency response support for patients involved in this incident and are currently treating three patients who are listed in stable condition. In compliance with federal patient privacy regulations and out of respect for patients and their families, we are unable to make any comments regarding the care of any of our patients.”
Acadian Ambulance’s Twitter account said it dispatched four helicopters and five ground units to the scene. It transported two people by air and two by ground vehicle.
Reports say some of the injured were taken to Our Lady of Lourdes Regional Medical Center in Lafayette.
“The shear heat of the fire, you’ve got natural gas coming out, which is extremely flammable,” Courreges told WAFB. “It’s about the most flammable thing there is. That’s why people use it for a fuel. It’s coming up and once it gets lit it is an incredible amount of heat that you’re dealing with, and it’s still being constantly fueled. So, whoever is responding to this has got to do something to shield their workers and equipment from the heat, while still trying to get on that well and try to put the fire out.”
The Morgan City police and fire departments were among the agencies responding to Tuesday’s incident in Wax Bayou at Belle Isle.
The Sunday blowout occurred as the Texas Petroleum Investment Co. well was being sealed in response to the well leaking, Gossen said. No injuries were reported Sunday.
Wild Well Control was continuing the work of sealing the well Tuesday afternoon, when natural gas at the site ignited.
“Contractors working to cap a well in the Belle Isle Field were injured when a spark ignited natural gas,” Texas Petroleum Investment Co. spokesman David Margulies said in a statement Tuesday. “The incident began on Sunday while workers were attempting to plug the abandoned well. The gas flow at the well has stopped, and the fire is out. The workers are receiving medical treatment, and crews are on the scene to protect the environment and bring the well under control.”
Gossen reported Wednesday that “everything is pretty secure.”
He said the air had been monitored since Sunday, but there never was a threat to the environment, like an oil spill, as the substances burn out after being emitted from the well.
While state police’s Emergency Services Unit was sent to the scene, Gossen said it is a standard procedure. He said the crews evaluate the situation and oversee operations by others.