Spring fire stops short of Evergreen’s coalbed methane operations

Petroleum News Alaska Staff

Evergreen Resources Inc. said the Spring fire in southern Colorado’s Las Animas county did not reach its coalbed methane operations in the Raton Basin.

The fire crossed onto Evergreen acreage, the company said June 4, but stopped one and a half miles short of the nearest well.

As a precaution, Evergreen said, it shut in 69 gas wells in the Lorencito Canyon area June 2. The wells were producing at a combined rate of 6.2 million cubic feet of gas per day prior to being shut in. Evergreen said the production represented approximately 5 percent of its total gross sales of 124 million cubic feet of gas per day.

The company said it had production back on line June 4. The wells are expected to reach their average production rate within a few days.

Evergreen said it made its produced water available to assist fire fighting efforts in the area and does not expect future curtailments of production unless weather and fire conditions change significantly.