TROUT RUN — Operations at a natural gas rig have been indefinitely suspended after suffering extensive damage in a fire that erupted late Monday night on Steam Mill Road in Cogan House Township, according to Trout Run Fire Chief Nick Smith.

There were no reports of injuries, he said.

The fire — which broke out about 10:30 p.m. and took 90 minutes to bring under control — created unique challenges for firefighters, Smith said, adding that he believed this was the first fire involving a natural gas rig in the region.

“The fire involved the base of the 150-foot high rig as well as electrical cables that ran up the side of the derrick,” Smith said. The fire also consumed the platform’s workstation, which is like the rig’s nerve center, he added.

“We were very concerned about the potential of the rig collapsing due to the intense heat and fire. Fortunately there was no collapse,” Smith said.

Firefighters were careful “to control the water that was directed onto the fire so that our efforts did not contaminate the area around the rig,” he explained.

“We were able to knock down the fire with about 6,500 gallons of water,” he said. The rig, which is owned by Patterson UTI Energy, was in operation at the time of the fire, Smith said.

The origin and cause of the fire remained under investigation, and there was no damage estimate available, Smith said.

Besides Trout Run, several other fire companies responded including Ralston, Hepburn Township, Old Lycoming Township, Montoursville, DuBoistown, Woodward Township, Jersey Shore, Liberty, Blossburg and Wellsboro.

“It was a team effort. We worked well together,” Smith said.