Wednesday, December 12, 2012
I-77 in West Virginia reopened after natural gas explosion
SISSONVILLE, W.Va. — Contractors worked through the night scraping away burned asphalt and repaving an 800-foot swath of Interstate 77 charred by a massive natural gas line explosion and fire that also flattened four homes and damaged five more but caused no deaths.
The Tuesday afternoon blast between Sissonville and Pocatalico, about 15 miles north of the capital city of Charleston and 140 miles north of Wytheville, melted guardrails, cooked the green enamel off highway signs and burned utility poles, while leaving a huge hole in the highway.
The northbound lanes reopened early today and traffic began flowing on the southbound lanes a few hours later.
Though several people were treated for smoke inhalation, no serious injuries were reported either on or off the major commuter route.
Federal and state agencies are now investigating what caused the explosion in the 20-inch transmission line owned by NiSource Inc., parent company of Columbia Gas. The gas flow was shut off, but residents who lived within 1,000 feet of the fire zone were evacuated as a precaution.
Columbia Gas sells natural gas to 243,000 customers in Virginia, including 9,000 in parts of Bedford and Botetourt counties, and Alleghany, Rockbridge and Giles counties.
Kent Carper, president of the Kanawha County Commission, said flames were shooting some 75 feet into the air before the fire was extinguished.
"It sounded like a Boeing 757. Just a roar," he said. "It was huge. You just couldn't hear anything. It was like a space flight."
Carper said the flames spanned about a quarter of a mile and ran through a culvert under the interstate.
"It actually cooked the interstate," he said. "It looks like a tar pit."
NiSource spokesman Mike Banas said the company was still gathering facts and no effects on customers were expected.
The Tuesday afternoon blast between Sissonville and Pocatalico, about 15 miles north of the capital city of Charleston and 140 miles north of Wytheville, melted guardrails, cooked the green enamel off highway signs and burned utility poles, while leaving a huge hole in the highway.
The northbound lanes reopened early today and traffic began flowing on the southbound lanes a few hours later.
Though several people were treated for smoke inhalation, no serious injuries were reported either on or off the major commuter route.
Federal and state agencies are now investigating what caused the explosion in the 20-inch transmission line owned by NiSource Inc., parent company of Columbia Gas. The gas flow was shut off, but residents who lived within 1,000 feet of the fire zone were evacuated as a precaution.
Columbia Gas sells natural gas to 243,000 customers in Virginia, including 9,000 in parts of Bedford and Botetourt counties, and Alleghany, Rockbridge and Giles counties.
Kent Carper, president of the Kanawha County Commission, said flames were shooting some 75 feet into the air before the fire was extinguished.
"It sounded like a Boeing 757. Just a roar," he said. "It was huge. You just couldn't hear anything. It was like a space flight."
Carper said the flames spanned about a quarter of a mile and ran through a culvert under the interstate.
"It actually cooked the interstate," he said. "It looks like a tar pit."
NiSource spokesman Mike Banas said the company was still gathering facts and no effects on customers were expected.
