SEMINOLE, Texas (AP) — Emergency officials have evacuated a 2-mile radius near a West Texas oil well that blew out and spewed a mixture of dangerous hydrogen sulfide.
Gaines County Judge Tom Keyes says nobody was hurt in Tuesday morning’s accident at a rural site about 4 miles east-northeast of Seminole. Keyes says about two dozen homes were evacuated, as a precaution.
Keyes says the well is operated by Tabula Rasa Energy of Houston. Company officials didn’t immediately return a message.
Authorities haven’t said what caused the blowout. Keyes says emergency personnel are monitoring winds for any shifts that could mean expanding the isolation area.
Hydrogen sulfide is a flammable, poisonous gas with an odor similar to rotten eggs.
Seminole is a town of about 6,400, located 70 miles northwest of Midland.