Fire Near Hopewell Township Gas Drilling Site Under Control

A fire that erupted near a Hopewell Township, Washington County, gas drilling site is now under control.

The fire was reported Wednesday morning in an area of land used to collect wastewater from an Atlas Energy gas drilling project under way in Hopewell Township.

State officials said it appears gas on the surface of the wastewater caught fire.

In January, the state Department of Environmental Protection fined Atlas Energy Inc. $85,000 for alleged violations at 13 well sites in southwestern Pennsylvania from late 2008 through July 2009. The department said at the time that Atlas did not take all precautions to prevent runoff, and it spilled diesel fuel and other industrial fluids onto the ground.

• E-Mail Newsletter: Get The Latest News Sent To Your E-Mail! • Mobile: Get WPXI Headlines On Your Phone, iPhone, More • RSS: Add Us To Your Page!