The State : Oil Well Fire in Its 6th Day
Flames spewed from a burning oil well near Fillmore in Ventura County for the sixth day as firefighters continued their attempts to put out the persistent blaze. Officials believe a spark from an electric fan touched off the fire Thursday at a Seneca Corp. oil field in the Los Padres National Forest, about 50 miles northwest of downtown Los Angeles. Crews drained thousands of gallons of oil over the weekend from 11 storage tanks near the fire, but an attempt to flood the well with saltwater Sunday failed when a crack was found on the oil rig. Meanwhile, the condition of oil field worker John Henry, 24, who suffered severe burns in the blaze, improved to satisfactory at the burn center at Sherman Oaks Community Hospital, a hospital spokeswoman said. The fire has destroyed drilling equipment worth $5 million.
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