Newport Returning to Normal After Removal of Oil Splotches

Newport Beach police reopened Balboa Boulevard Sunday night after mop-up crews steam-cleaned oil splotches from sidewalks, private homes and a nine-block section of the busy thoroughfare, which was closed Friday after an abandoned oil well exploded.

Work on the well, however, won’t continue until Tuesday when a new oil rig to replace the old one that was damaged in the blast is trucked in from Long Beach, Robert Wynn, Newport Beach city manager, said Sunday.

City officials, who were certain the danger had passed, also seemed a little cautious Sunday as to whether the well was still a hazard.

“All I can say is we have no gas coming out now,” said City Engineer Don Webb, who was at the scene Sunday.

The problem, Wynn said, is that no one can safely predict what is occurring underground.

“Everyone thought it was going to remain dormant until we capped and sealed it off and look what happened,” Wynn said during a telephone interview. “This well had been abandoned in 1931 and was not producing. That’s about 54 years, and yet it still blew.”

Police opened Balboa to eastbound traffic but restricted traffic on the westbound side to only one lane, said Lt. Gary Peterson. The restriction will continue until further notice, he said.

Meanwhile, a private contractor’s crew will remain at the well site, 44th Street and Balboa Boulevard, to monitor any change.

Webb said workers were periodically pumping a mixture of earth and water, referred to as “heavy mud,” into the well Sunday to keep natural gas from escaping again.

Tankers Lined Up

“They’re monitoring the level of the mud. If they need more, they just pump more in. That’s why these tankers are lined up here,” Webb said, referring to five tanker trucks parked near the site.

Minutes after workers noticed crude oil bubbling to the surface Friday, the well site exploded, causing a 50-foot geyser of flames, saltwater and crude oil. The blast severely burned one city employee, George Murdock, and forced the evacuation of about 200 residents.

Murdock, who suffered second-degree burns over 20% of his body, was in very good condition Sunday at UCI Medical Center, a hospital spokesman said.

The fire is believed to have started from a spark produced by city employees and private contractors attempting to cap the well, police said.

Ironically, the city recently received a permit from the state to permanently cap the old well to avoid any serious mishap.

“We were getting prepared to properly cap it this week,” Wynn said. “The heavy mud was on order and the crane was on the site.”

The well was the last of five abandoned wells remaining on the city’s schedule to be permanently capped, Wynn said.