Officials shut off ruptured oil and gas well in Liberty

Staff report

LIBERTY

The Ohio Department of Natural Resources is handling cleanup of a gas and crude oil well that ruptured in the township Tuesday morning.

A mechanical malfunction of a wellhead led to the release of mist of less than a barrel of oil, according to an ODNR representative.

The well, owned by Dry Hole Producing, is at 6622 Bel Air Lane in the city of Girard within the township. The company could not be reached to comment.

Liberty police and fire officials responded to the wellhead rupture about 7:17 a.m. after fielding complaints from residents of the nearby Vintage Village Estates near Belmont Avenue.

Officials shut off the well about 7:30 a.m. No residents were harmed, fire Capt. Arnold Barzak said.