Well leaking hydrogen sulfide in Wayne County

Well leaking hydrogen sulfide in Wayne County by The Associated Press, July 20, 2012
JACKSON, Miss. — Emergency officials say a natural gas well is leaking hydrogen sulfide in Wayne County and officials have evacuated everyone within a mile radius and shut down the airspace in the area. The Mississippi Emergency Management Agency says in a news release that the evacuation effected seven houses and 27 people. They were put up in hotels by the well operator Escambia Operating Co. LLC. MEMA spokesman Jeff Rent says there was no explosion and workers are attempting to stop the leak. MEMA says hydrogen sulfide is a poisonous, flammable gas which gives off the smell of rotten eggs. It can deaden a person’s sense of smell so a potential victim may be unaware of its presence.