Vehicles and equipment at a well site in Independence Township inside the Wayne National Forest burn Monday after an explosion during a contractor’s operation to cap an orphan well. (Photo Provided)

An explosion at an orphan well site in Independence Township injured six people Monday morning, most of them critically, according to local officials.

The Ohio Department of Natural Resources said its Division of Oil and Gas Resources Management sent an emergency response team to the scene along Independence Township 420 in Washington County inside the Wayne National Forest. The well was being plugged by a contractor when the explosion occurred.

Reno Fire Chief Jon Bradford said his department received the call at 11:51 a.m. Monday

The injured workers were first taken to Memorial Health System and later transported by medical helicopters to other facilities, Bradford said.

Fire crews from the Reno, Marietta, New Matamoras, Sardis, Little Muskingum and Newport departments responded to the scene. Bradford said the fire was extinguished and the ODNR and the State Fire Marshal’s office are now leading the investigation.

It was not immediately clear Monday whether the well in question was an oil or natural gas well.

Orphaned wells are those that have no owner. Ohio’s orphan well program was created in 1977 to plug abandoned oil and natural gas wells across the state.

Art Smith and Evan Bevins contributed to this report.