SaskEnergy: Evacuees nearly able to return after Prud'homme fire

SaskEnergy officials say they're hoping to have 13 people from near Prud'homme back at home soon, after gas was accidentally released and burned for nearly a week at a natural gas storage facility near their four homes.

Crews worked during the week to replace a well head that failed, and to close off a gas leak and extinguish the fire at the facility by late Friday.

SaskEnergy spokesman Dave Burdeniuk said the last step before the evacuees can go home is for two bridge plugs to be lowered and installed within the underground gas storage cavern. He said the first safety plugs will be locked in at 825 m and 850 m below ground.

"These bridge plugs are actually used by anyone who owns and operates a natural gas cavern or natural gas well, it is a regular part of cavern maintenance. But for what's our purposes here, we do want to lock down and seal this cavern and seal off the remaining gas that is underground," Burdeniuk said.

He said for workers, that would move the situation from stable to secure, and it will allow SaskEnery to lift the evacuation order for four nearby homes. The next step for the company is to begin its investigation into how and why the fire and leak happened.

"We've only had cursory looks at the well head and some of the features around it, but really the priority has been getting that fire out, getting the gas to stop blowing," Burdeniuk said, referring to late Friday night when a new well head was installed, extinguishing the fire and ending the stream of gas that was blowing out from the cavern.

Workers spent Saturday preparing to insert the safety plugs.

"This is a lengthy process," Burdeniuk explained. "It could take most of (Sunday) because you are going to quite lower depths into the cavern and as you're inserting these safety plugs you're actually working in the live gas stream."

Burdeniuk is hopeful evacuees will be back home Sunday or Monday.