Flammable Water Near Gas Drilling Sites in Louisiana

Flammable tap water, a horror the film Gasland brought to the big screen, is reality for one Dixie, Louisiana family.

The Parker family, who resides in the Shreveport-area town near natural gas drilling sites, has “been having issues with their water for about a year,” according to local news KSLA. They made the discovery of flammable water in their home when their daughter Sarah Evans was visiting from out of town and took a match to the water on Friday.

“I did it because I’d seen it on TV before and a flame came up,” said Evans. She then headed to her brother’s house next door, which shares the same private well, and found she could also ignite the water coming out of the faucet there. “His water blew up and caught the fringe of the curtains, that is how high the flames came up.”

The family is also blaming the water for making their other daughter, 17-year-old Meaghan, pass out once while doing dishes.

The Parkers say the fault lies with Anadarko Petroleum Corporation, which operates in the area, for leaking methane into their wells. “This only started once they started drilling those wells,” said John Parker.