A family in Dixie, Louisiana was stunned when they realized the water running from their sink faucets was flammable.
According to KSLA News 12, it was only after their daughter, Sarah Evans, paid the family a visit was the discovery made. The Parkers had been having issues with their water for over a year.
"I did it because I had seen it on TV before and a flame came up...In the morning, you come in and turn the water on and there is so much air pressure in the lines that it just blows water everywhere, and you're soaked," said Evans on what had prompted her to experiment with the water.
Evans also decided to test the water in her brother's home next door since the two houses on the property share a private water well.
"His water blew up and caught the fringe of the curtains, that's how high the flames came up," Evans said.
The Parker family had been facing problems with the water for the past year, KSLA News 12 reported. Meghan Parker, 17, fainted while washing the dishes.
"My dad came in and tried to talk to me, and I was unresponsive and he said that I leaned back on the sink, and let go, and hit the floor," Meaghan told KSLA.
John Parker believes the well might have gotten a methane gas leak by Anadarko Petroleum Corporation, an oil and gas company which has a drilling construction near the houses.
"This only started since they drilled these wells," John said.
Anadarko External Communications Director, John Christiansen, issued a statement to KSLA which read, "At this time, no one knows the source of this issue, and the Louisiana Department of Natural Resources Office of Conservation has been notified so that a third-party expert can collect samples, conduct further testing and determine the source."
KSLA News 12 reported experts claim the possibility of the gas entering the well easily since the land surrounding the Parker homes is rich in natural gas. Hydraulic fracturing of shale has been placed in areas of the United States as a source of environmental pollution and contamination of drinking water. Hydrologist Gary Hanson said he's seen incidents where wells are drilled into shale that can produce gas.
The Parkers have shut off their well and started using community water system until the problem can be determined and remedied.
