Albion Interactive History / Events

1962 February 24, Oil well fire

On February 24, 1962, escaping natural gas caught fire at an oil well on the Garfield Farley farm south of town. Flames sot up to spectacular levels, and the Farley oil well fire made front page headlines for several days. Famed oil well fighter Red Adair of Texas was called in, and extinguished the fire on March 2, 1962.

Farley Oil Well fire, that started on February 24, 1962 and was capped on March 2, 1962. This photo shows the fire only a few hours after it had started.

Source: Frank Passic. A Pictorial History of Albion, Michigan; From the Archives of the Albion Historical Society. Dallas, Texas: Curtis Media Corporation. 1991.