Methane: A Flash Fire, 3rd-Degree Burns And Investigation Without End

"PERRIN, Texas -- On a sunny Saturday afternoon, Cody Murray's water well exploded in flames.

Natural gas unexpectedly flowed up with the water and ignited when a switch flipped in the pump house where he stood. It turned the air to fire.

Murray, a sturdy middle-aged rancher, oil worker and father of two, suffered second- and third-degree burns over nearly a quarter of his body. His father and 4-year-old daughter were also burned in the August 2014 flash fire.

State oil and gas regulators quickly launched an investigation into whether the oil and gas wells scattered around Murray's neighborhood could have leaked methane into his water. The effort was led by the Texas Railroad Commission (RRC), the oddly named state agency in charge of oil and gas in the Lone Star State.

Nearly two years later, RRC officials say they still don't know whether oil and gas wells played a role in the explosion."

Mike Soraghan reports for EnergyWire June 1, 2016.