No great info just yet but here's a live video feed from the local news:
DALLAS - A gas well explosion in North Texas is sending enormous flames and plumes of smoke into the sky.
The fire broke out at about 3 p.m. at 2101 County Road 1120 in Hood County.
The blaze was so intense that it could be seen from at least 30 miles away. Additionally, Sky 4 helicopter pilot Mike Warner said he could feel the heat from nearly a mile away.
Reports are of people injured but no confirmation yet. Will update as more information becomes available.
This is NOT a good week for the safety of fossil fuels.
UPDATE: This appears to be a pipeline that exploded possibly in conjunction with electrical work being done in the area -- although the phrase "gas facility" has been used in reports. Three people are dead, another 6 or more injured or missing. At this point, it is unclear who the dead, missing or injured worked for. The fire is burning so intensely that rescue crews were having difficulty reaching the site. 200 acrea have burned from brush fires.
Please hold these people and their families in your thoughts.
UPDATE #2: The consensus among new sources is that electric tranmission lines were being placed and one humongous auger drilling one giant hole met one humongous (36") gas tranmission line and ignited.
Energy. What goes around, comes around. We have to drill deeper and send the energy further.
Thanks for the recs and great comments. Now unrec and let someone who is a far better writer than I with far more facts weave all these incidents together in a tale to teach our children. And our politicians. It's not clean and it's not safe and it's not infinite.
Learn, baby, learn.