2001 Hutchinson gas explosions
{{Short description|2001 gas explosion in Hutchinson, Kansas}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=May 2025}}
{{Infobox event
| title = 2001 Hutchinson gas explosions
| date = {{start and end dates|2001|01|17|2001|01|18}}
| Location = Hutchinson, Kansas, US
| cause = Natural gas leak
| reported deaths = 2{{Cite web |title=Hutchinson Natural Gas Explosion |url=https://geokansas.ku.edu/hutchinson-natural-gas-explosion |access-date=2025-04-19 |website=geokansas.ku.edu |language=en}}
}}
On January 17, 2001, natural gas stored underground at the Yaggy storage field nearby Hutchinson, Kansas, leaked into empty brine caverns and salt wells, resulting in two gas explosions in the city of Hutchinson on January 17 and 18.
Background
The city of Hutchinson, Kansas has had a prominent salt mining industry since the 19th century, when salt was discovered in Reno County in 1887.{{Cite web |author=Federal Writer's Project |title=Hutchinson, Kansas History |url=https://www.kspatriot.org/index.php/articles/56-kansas-local-history/345-hutchinson-kansas-history.html |access-date=2019-08-09 |website=Kansas State History |language=en-gb}}{{cite web |title=Kansas and Kansans Ch. p. 996-1009 |url=http://skyways.lib.ks.us/genweb/archives/1918ks/v2/996.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060209134049/http://skyways.lib.ks.us/genweb/archives/1918ks/v2/996.html |archive-date=February 9, 2006}} The primary method to extract salt at the time was pumping water into brine wells, and then evaporating it, leading to the creation of various empty and abandoned brine caverns across the city.
The Yaggy storage field, located seven miles northwest of Hutchinson,{{Cite news |date=January 21, 2001 |title=Officials work to plug gas leak |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1291&dat=20010121&id=tFFUAAAAIBAJ&sjid=jY4DAAAAIBAJ&pg=6595,4592237 |work=Boca Raton News}} was developed in the 1980s as an underground propane storage field, with wells drilled into lower parts of the Hutchinson Salt Member. The field was eventually purchased by the Kansas Gas Service (KGas), a subsidiary of Oneok, and repurposed into a natural gas storage field.{{Cite journal |last=Allison |first=M. Lee |date=2001 |title=THE HUTCHINSON GAS EXPLOSIONS: UNRAVELING A GEOLOGIC MYSTERY |url=https://geokansas.ku.edu/sites/geokansas/files/files/Hutch_KBA_final.pdf |journal=Kansas Bar Association}}
Cause
On the morning of January 17, 2001, technicians at the Yaggy storage field noticed a drop in pressure in 16 underground jugs that had been filled with natural gas over the past series of days. KGas traced the drop in pressure to a leak in the S-1 jug since at least January 14. About {{convert|143|Mcuft|m3}} of natural gas had leaked through layers of fractured dolomite into abandoned brine caverns and salt wells, routing them to the surface and into buildings in downtown Hutchinson.
Timeline
The initial explosion occurred at 10:45 am at the Decor Shop,{{Cite web |last=Domangue |first=Dylan |date=2025-02-24 |title=Hutchinson building explosion leads to many recalling 2001 deadly blast |url=https://www.kwch.com/2025/02/24/hutchinson-building-explosion-leads-many-recalling-2001-deadly-blast/ |access-date=2025-04-19 |website=www.kwch.com |language=en}} destroying the building, the neighboring Woody's Furniture Store,{{Cite web |title=Gas explosion compensation doesn't appease victims |url=https://www2.ljworld.com/news/2004/feb/17/gas_explosion_compensation/ |access-date=2025-04-20 |website=LJWorld.com |language=en-US}}{{Cite web |title=Hutchinson Natural Gas Explosion |url=https://geokansas.ku.edu/hutchinson-natural-gas-explosion |access-date=2025-05-24 |website=geokansas.ku.edu |language=en}} and damaging 26 others. The force of the explosion had blown out windows in nearby buildings, although only minor injuries occurred. A gas fire had ignited at the site of the explosion, of which all attempts to extinguish, including disabling the local gas lines, failed.
By the evening, several sinkholes and geysers of water and gas reaching up to {{Convert|30|ft|m}} formed across the eastern side of the city.{{Cite book |last=Warren |first=John K. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ihny39BvVhIC&dq=hutchinson+gas+explosion&pg=PA935 |title=Evaporites:Sediments, Resources and Hydrocarbons |date=2006-06-12 |publisher=Springer Science & Business Media |isbn=978-3-540-32344-0 |language=en}} A day later, on January 18, another explosion in a trailer at the Big Chief Mobile Home Park critically injured two, John and Mary Ann Hahn,{{Cite news |title=Economic impact not widespread as Hutchinson recovers from crisis |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ITJcAAAAIBAJ&dq=hutchinson+gas+explosion&pg=PA21&article_id=1164,1098389 |work=Daily Union}} both of whom who later died from their injuries.{{cite web |title=UPDATE ON ACTIVITIES RELATING TO GAS EXPLOSIONS IN HUTCHINSON |url=http://www.accesskansas.org/ksadjutantgeneral/News%20Releases/2001/01-012.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061215175904/http://www.accesskansas.org/ksadjutantgeneral/News%20Releases/2001/01-012.htm |archive-date=December 15, 2006}}{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=NQNaAAAAIBAJ&dq=hutchinson+gas+explosion&pg=PA2&article_id=4022,3309171 |title=The Telegraph-Herald |publisher=The Telegraph-Herald |language=en}}
Response
Initial response to the explosions, according to Holloway, was unprepared, as firefighters were unaware of the cause of the first explosion and failed to extinguish the resulting fire, with officials initially attempting to turn off the local gas lines to the buildings.{{Cite book |last=Holloway |first=Michael D. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=J4ZeDwAAQBAJ&dq=hutchinson+gas+explosion&pg=PA247 |title=Fracking: Further Investigations into the Environmental Considerations and Operations of Hydraulic Fracturing |date=2018-06-01 |publisher=John Wiley & Sons |isbn=978-1-119-36432-0 |language=en}}{{Cite web |title=PHOTOS: 2001 gas explosions in Hutchinson, Kansas |url=https://www.kansas.com/news/state/article64033152.html |website=The Wichita Eagle}} The Kansas National Guard was called in to help evacuate parts of the city because of the gas leaks. Evacuations included more than 200 families; 191 homes on the east side of Hutchinson, including the residents of the Big Chief Mobile Home Park, and 43 businesses. Employees were evacuated from Underground Vaults & Storage, a salt mine storage location which housed the original film negative of The Wizard of Oz and various documents.{{Cite news|last= |first= |title=Gas Geysers Blaze in Kansas |url=https://abcnews.go.com/US/story?id=94348&page=1 |access-date=2025-05-25 |website=ABC News |language=en}}
The Kansas Gas Service mobilized more than 100 workers to check for leaks, and began drilling operations to vent the gas in the brine caverns. 57 venting wells were installed by KGas across the city. Governor Bill Graves directed the Kansas Geological Survey to postpone out-of-state geological research for the US Army and to redirect their resources to assisting evaluations of the gas leaks and explosions.{{Cite news |title=Graves orders seismic tests in Hutchinson |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=a-BEAAAAIBAJ&dq=hutchinson+gas+explosion&pg=PA2&article_id=1144,1780140 |work=Daily Union |publisher= |language=en}}
Aftermath
Several lawsuits were filed against KGas and its parent company, Oneok,{{Cite news |date=February 21, 2002 |title=Plaintiffs hopeful about gas explosion lawsuit |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=2199&dat=20020221&id=5kYyAAAAIBAJ&sjid=FucFAAAAIBAJ&pg=6783,985626 |work=Lawrence Journal-World}} one of which reached the Kansas Supreme Court after an appeal from the Reno County District Court, resulting in Oneok being found liable for the incidents but resulted in no damages awarded to the business class plaintiffs,{{Cite web |date=2007-10-26 |title=Case 94570: Gilley v. Kansas Gas Service Co. |url=https://kscourts.gov/Cases-Decisions/Decisions/Published/Gilley-v-Kansas-Gas-Service-Co |access-date=2025-05-25 |website=Kansas Judicial Center |language=en-US}} one that resulted in $5 million in damages being awarded to residential class plaintiffs, and another that resulted in an award of $5.25 million to the plaintiffs, an increase from the initial $1.71 million.{{Cite web |date=2004-09-27 |title=Oneok Must Pay $5M in Class Action Lawsuit Over Yaggy Storage Field Explosions |url=https://naturalgasintel.com/news/oneok-must-pay-5m-in-class-action-lawsuit-over-yaggy-storage-field-explosions/ |access-date=2025-05-25 |website=naturalgasintel.com |language=en}}
An unrelated underground gas leak resulted in the explosion of an auto parts store in Hutchinson on February 22, 2025.{{Cite web |last1=Lutz |first1=Jeffrey |last2=Staff |first2=KWCH |date=2025-03-18 |title=NTSB: Hutchinson explosion caused by underground natural gas leak |url=https://www.kwch.com/2025/03/18/ntsb-hutchinson-explosion-caused-by-underground-natural-gas-leak/#:~:text=At%20about%2010:05%20a.m.,estimated%20to%20be%20about%20$875,000. |access-date=2025-05-25 |website=www.kwch.com |language=en}}