A family in Texas, including a four-year old, her parents and her grandfather, were severely burned when their water well ignited into a massive fireball after methane from nearby fracked wells contaminated their water supply, a newly filed lawsuit against EOG Resources and several related companies alleges...

The cause of the blast? Nearby fracked wells, the lawsuit alleges. “Rigorous scientific testing, including isotope testing, has conclusively demonstrated that the high-level methane contamination of the Murrays ’ water well resulted from natural gas drilling and extraction activities,” the complaint, filed in Dallas County, Texas earlier this month, states...

The suspected source of the methane in the water? Two gas wells drilled by EOG Resources roughly 1,000 feet away from the Murrays' water well.

The Texas Railroad Commission, the state's oil and gas regulator, later cited EOG for “discrepancies” in legally-required records for the wells' cement casings and the agency's investigation into the fireball is still underway, according to the complaint.

The Murray's lawsuit, which seeks over $1 million dollars to compensate the family for their medical expenses, Cody's disability and resulting lost job, and the loss of their farm's water supply, is one of a growing number of legal cases surrounding fracking...

*Sourced by RepRisk due diligence on ESG and business conduct risks, www.reprisk.com.