No one hurt in Garfield Co. drill rig fire

PARACHUTE, Colo. A pit fire erupted briefly Monday at a gas drilling rig site in Garfield County.No one was evacuated and no injuries were reported.The fire was at an EnCana Oil & Gas (USA) rig site.”The cause is undetermined at this time,” said Grand Valley Fire Protection District Chief David Blair. “It was probably from friction or static electricity with some well gas that was mixed in with the drilling mud that they blow down into the pit during drilling operations.”Blair said the fire had died before the fire department arrived at the site, about 10 miles north of Parachute along the east fork of Parachute Creek at the head of County Road 215.He said crew members ceased operations and let the fire burn itself out.”I’m sure they’ll be checking their equipment, and they’ll probably resume operations,” Blair said.The Garfield County sheriff’s office said the only property damage was scorched pipes to the evaporation pit.”It’s not a common occurrence, but it does happen occasionally that the pits do light off,” he said.Blair said an investigation was ongoing.