That Arnegard Fire? It's Out. -- Bakken, North Dakota, USA

With all that's going on in Japan (the disabled and deteriorating nuclear reactors), most of us had probably forgotten about the Arnegard well.

Not to fear, some of us still remember. I follow the Jaynes well story here.

The fire is out.

A crew battling an oil well blaze in northwestern North Dakota that had been burning for nearly two weeks doused the fire on Friday and temporarily capped the wellhead, the owner of the well said.

"It's back under control and no longer flaring," said Brent Collins, a spokesman for the well's owner, SM Energy Co. of Denver. "The fire is out."

Collins said well fire specialists from Houston-based Boots & Coots International Well Control Inc. stopped the fire Friday morning and were rebuilding the wellhead that afternoon. The process could take several days, he said.

"The mechanical and structural integrity is still intact, and we will be able to reuse the well," Collins said.
Weather delayed putting out the fire.

Apparently no one has complained about health concerns from the smoke, and there has been no environmental damage of consequence.