March 07--A machine used in the oil field caught fire Friday morning when workers at Warrior Energy Services were cleaning it inside an industrial building on Interstate 20.
The equipment -- a "gas separator" which is use to separate gas, oil and water from the ground -- burst in flames around 11:30 a.m. while crews were using high-pressure water to clean it inside the building.
The building, off the north service road in the 8200 block of West I-20, is less than four miles from Midland International Airport.
Firefighters had extinguished the flames before noon, said Midland County Fire Marshal Dale Little.
Employees will still be able to work in the building, he said, but there was significant heat, smoke and water damage. There was no major structural damage or any injuries because of the fire, Little said.
All of the employees evacuated the building once the equipment caught fire. None of the surrounding industrial buildings were impacted by the fire, he said.
There isn't a lot of grass in the area, so Little said there wasn't too much concern about a wildfire breaking out, even though wildfire season is just getting started.
Copyright 2014 - Midland Reporter-Telegram, Texas
