Well blow-out experts enroute, detour in effect, area closed

Travel between Eunice and Crowley is being detoured around an area sealed off due to a natural gas/oil well blowout late Tuesday afternoon.
About 30 people were evacuated from a dozen homes in the Buckhorn Road area along La. Highway 13 south of Eunice. No injuries have been reported by State Police.
Authorities said late Tuesday night that Black Creek Drilling employees were "drilling a natural gas well when they lost pressure. As a result, there was a well blowout."
State Police said well control specialists were enroute from a Texas location.
Travel to destinations using the highway will take extra time until the response is complete. There is no estimate as yet as to how long that might be.
According to authorities, the detour route on the busy north-south highway is:
If you are traveling from the Crowley area, north to the Eunice area, take LA 13 to LA 370, LA 370 to LA 368, LA 368 to LA 755.
If you are traveling from the Eunice area, south to the Crowley area, reverse those directions.
A series of what sounded like thunderclaps came from the general direction of an operating well, though there are also gas pipelines and gas plants in the general area..
State Police cordoned off an area of Acadia Parish from south of Highway 3123 , also known as “Tiger Lane”, to south past The Old Mowata Store near Highway 370 (the Branch Highway).
Eunice Fire Chief Mike Arnold on Tuesday night advised people to stay out of the area until the situation is contained.
Police and fire volunteers have also closed through traffic to La. Hwy. 3116, just off of Tiger Lane near the railroad tracks. Area residents on the scene appeared to be displaced for the moment, unable to return home this evening as they were encouraged to find an alternate shelter.
Nearby residents reported hearing the blowout shortly after 5 p.m.
At least two wells are underdevelopment on the east side of La. 13 in the general area involved, and a distribution site is under construction. Whether either of those wells is involved is not known.
There has been a flurry of activity in recent months of reworking formerly producing wells, in addition to exploration on new sites.