Two killed in gas line explosion

LUBBOCK, Texas – Two workers removing clay from a pit in a remote part of the Texas Panhandle were killed when a natural gas line exploded, a sheriff said Tuesday.

The blast near Darrouzett, about 270 miles northeast of Lubbock, was the second fatal natural gas explosion in Texas in as many days. On Monday, a worker was killed when a utility crew accidentally hit and ruptured a natural gas line in rural Johnson County, about 50 miles southwest of Dallas.

The blast Tuesday involved a crew that was removing clay for a dirt-contracting company. The explosion happened when a bulldozer struck a pipeline.

Three other workers were injured, one critically.

The owner of the 14-inch pipeline, Denver-based DCP Midstream, allowed the fire to burn itself out about four hours after the incident.