Two Airlifted To Hospital After Oil Well Incident Near Flomaton

September 10, 2014

Two men are lucky to be alive, according to officials, after falling into two dangerous chemicals at an oil well near Flomaton Wednesday morning.

Both came in contact with  xylene and hydrogen sulfide (commonly called H2S gas) at the Eagle Rock oil well on Halls Creek Road off Upper Creek Road, according to Flomaton Fire Chief Steve Stanton. Both chemicals are natural byproducts of the oil drilling process.

The men were transported by private vehicle to the Flomaton Fire Department for treatment. They were airlifted  to area hospitals in critical condition. Their names and current conditions have not been released.

The chemicals were contained to the oil well and did not pose a threat to the public.

H2S gas, in high concentrations, can cause immediate collapse and death after a single breath. Excessive exposure to xylene can also also cause coma, respiratory failure and death.

Comments

6 Responses to “Two Airlifted To Hospital After Oil Well Incident Near Flomaton”

  1. William on September 12th, 2014 6:53 am

    I work in the oil fields of north Dakota where we have strick safety guidelines for entering hot H2s areas also have the right safety equipment h2s is a highly dangerous gas that you can’t smell nor see and it only takesa little to kill. Praying for the workers speedy recovery.

  2. Safebear on September 10th, 2014 10:47 pm

    @Just curious – these wells vent all the time and are usually not at a hazardous level. It is also why those well sites are posted to keep away. If you stay at the perimeter you are safer than walking up to it.

  3. Just curious on September 10th, 2014 7:28 pm

    Just praying the men are ok.

    Also curious as to why h2s was present unless they were repairing a leak. If a leak occurred how much escaped ? Those chemicals can cause serious lung and organ damage and death.

  4. Kenneth Guy on September 10th, 2014 2:17 pm

    Prayers are being said….GOD BLESS those two men and their recovery.

  5. Willene Bryan on September 10th, 2014 1:08 pm

    Praying for them

  6. Greg on September 10th, 2014 9:20 am

    Praying…