OLIVER SPRINGS, Tenn. — An oil well fire was contained this morning but continued to burn, sending flames 60 feet into the air and injuring one person on Cove Mountain in rural Anderson County.
Authorities say crews digging around the locally owned Walden Resources oil well Tuesday hit an intense pocket of pressure causing condensed oil to spew into the air.
Around 7 a.m. today, the well ignited for unknown reasons.
Scott Stout with the Roane County Emergency Management Office said one person suffered minor burns and was taken to a hospital for observation.
Families from five or six homes nearest the well were evacuated to a church in Oliver Springs while residents living within a half-mile of the well were asked to stay in their homes.
“Right now we are letting it burn until a company out of Texas gets here to assess the situation and put the fire out,” Stout said. A crew from Wild Well Control Inc. of Houston was expected this afternoon.
Rain and blustery wind moved through the area, potentially hampering the operation.
Oliver Springs is a community of about 3,300 people some 30 miles west of Knoxville.
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