Alert 02 – 26 Flare Line Pilot Results in a Reserve Pit Fire
WHAT HAPPENED:
While circulating out a well through the gas buster the driller instructed one of the crew to check the diesel pilot light at the degasser flare line and make sure it was burning. The crewman increased the diesel flow into the barrel. While circulating the kick out of the well, the pilot light barrel overflowed spilling burning diesel into the
reserve pit. The pit caught fire from residue diesel from oil based mud. Luckily, the wind was blowing away from the rig and the fire burned itself out in 30 minutes, not damaging any equipment. Even though the crew responded well to the emergency, this could have been very costly, in lives. This incident was a wake up call for the rig crews and managers.