Hutchinson ? Four years after natural gas explosions destroyed two Hutchinson businesses and killed two people in a trailer park, crews are draining the remaining natural gas from a nearby underground storage facility.

Gas that leaked from a damaged pipe in a cavern at Yaggy storage field is believed to have caused the January 2001 explosions. The gas is believed to have traveled at least seven miles underground before erupting from old brine wells.

Workers for the field’s operator, Oklahoma energy company ONEOK Inc., are preparing to extract brine water from seven water wells and 27 other wells that were drilled but never used.

Once that’s done, the remaining gas will be removed from the 71 salt caverns that make up Yaggy field and will be replaced with the brine water to keep the caverns from collapsing.

Most of the wells in the field will not be allowed to reopen under gas storage regulations that went into effect in 2003.

Once the project is complete, Kansas Department of Health and Environment will monitor the stability of the caverns. Tulsa, Okla.-based ONEOK will be required to conduct tests and monitor the wells.