Well's Gas Flow Has Stopped: BSEE
All 44 workers were safely evacuated from Well A-3 after they lost control of it Tuesday morning, and it began leaking natural gas. The gas ignited at 10:50 p.m.
The Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement and the U.S. Coast Guard confirmed Thursday morning that natural gas had stopped leaking from Well A-3 off the Louisiana coast, and they announced the well has bridged over and the fire had shrunk to a small flame fueled by residual gas at the top of the well. Bridging occurs when pieces of sediment and sand flow into the well path and restrict and ultimately stop the flow.
The two agencies will continue overseeing response efforts until the event is safely resolved and the well is secured.
Natural gas that began leaking from the well July 23 ignited that evening, and the fire damaged the Hercules 265 Rig on top of the well site. No injuries were reported; Walter Oil and Gas Corporation reported all 44 of its workers were safely evacuated from the jack-up rig.