Approximately 850 oil or gas wells from two operators that are within areas impacted by the wildfires in Rio Blanco County have been turned off, according to a spokesperson with the Colorado Department of Natural Resources.

Kristin Kemp, public information officer and community relations manager with the state’s Energy & Carbon Management Commission, said “wells have been shut-in (turned off) due to the fire, using remote SCADA or Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition technology.”

Kemp said staff at the commission, which regulates oil and gas operations and locations in Colorado, are in daily contact with the fire Incident Command Center as well as the operators of those wells.

“Once the ICC and first responders determine that the area is cleared for personnel to reenter safely, ECMC will implement inspection procedures to ensure the safe return of operations of those wells, i.e. colloquially, turn back on,” Kemp said.

“Fires routinely burn around oil and gas production sites without engulfing the well equipment, but operators still shut-in wells as a precaution and because personnel have reduced access to respond should something happen,” Kemp explained.

“Colorado has some of the most protective regulations in the country,” Kemp said. “Per rule, well sites are required to be engineered, built and maintained such that they provide a buffer around production equipment to reduce hazard or risk during a fire.”

For example, oil and gas locations must be maintained weed-free and kept free of accumulated debris, such as tumbleweeds, to reduce flammable hazards, she said.

“At this time I have no additional info about wells on Garfield County, but we are still monitoring, assessing and communicating with operators and ICC,” Kemp said Thursday afternoon.

“ECMC employees are not first responders, and we are grateful to the many first responders who are supporting fire suppression in Rio Blanco County,” Kemp added.