BP Amoco, which owns the site, reported a gas leak at the well on Delaney Rim about 10 miles southwest of Wamsutter, Sweetwater County Sheriff David Gray said. Shortly afterward, a fire erupted and spread to nearby tanks which typically hold fluids drawn during production, he said.
``All the companies constantly monitor their well heads,'' he said. ``People go around on a daily basis. Apparently it was on one of these inspections that they noticed the natural gas leak.''
The gas being leaked was sweet gas, meaning it did not contain hydrogen sulfide, he said.
``It takes very little of it to kill a human,'' Gray said.
The company had sent a firefighting crew to the site, and county crews were standing by, he said. The fire was still burning late in the day.
The cause of the fire was under investigation.
