A massive fire, fed by a gas well and some 12,000 gallons of oil, broke out near Hayden early this morning, sending a plume of jet-black smoke into the air throughout Routt County.
Authorities said no injuries have been reported and that they intend to let the blaze burn itself out.
“Really there’s nothing we can save,” said Chuck Vale, the Routt County emergency manager. “There’s no public-health hazard.”
The fire, on a wellhead about 5 miles east of Hayden on Wolf Mountain, first was reported about 7:15 a.m., Vale said.
The fire enveloped the entire well pad, including some 300 barrels of oil and two 500-gallon propane tanks that ruptured.
About 15 firefighters from Hayden were on scene, but they were overwhelmed by the flames. Since the remote well pad is surrounded by snow, they had little worries of it spreading.
Wafted by light breezes from the west, the billowing smoke could be seen for at least 35 miles, prompting dozens of 911 calls from Steamboat Springs.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation, Vale said.
Staff writer Steve Lipsher can be reached at 970-513-9495 or at slipsher@denverpost.com.
