Natural Gas Line Explodes In Forest

Sun., Feb. 9, 1997

From Staff And Wire Reports

A natural gas line exploded Saturday night, sending flames high above the forest treetops near this small town north of Bellingham.

There were no immediate reports of injuries.

Residents in the area said they saw a single huge flame above the treetops and heard a roaring sound about 10:10 p.m. Saturday. The fire was reported in a clearcut area that was sparsely populated, witnesses said.

“The house was shaking. It felt like a really severe earthquake. I got up and the whole house was glowing orange,” Kirsten Long of Everson told KOMO-TV about an hour later. “It’s pretty loud up here. It sounds like a jet over the house.”

A nursing supervisor at St. Joseph Hospital in Bellingham said she could see the flames in nearby Everson, which is about 90 miles south of the border with Canada.

Police and fire officials did not immediately confirm the explosion.

A spokeswoman for Washington Natural Gas said the line was not theirs.

Local journalism is essential.

Give directly to The Spokesman-Review's Northwest Passages community forums series -- which helps to offset the costs of several reporter and editor positions at the newspaper -- by using the easy options below. Gifts processed in this system are tax deductible.

Meet Our Journalists

Jesse Tinsley

Meet Jesse Tinsley. As a certified drone pilot, this veteran Spokesman-Review photographer often can be seen capturing beautiful aerial photographs of our region. Sometimes though, the job requires getting down with the dogs.
Jim Meehan

Jim Meehan is no stranger to Zag Nation. As the lead writer covering the Gonzaga men’s basketball team, he tells the stories behind the game and gets fans a bit closer to their favorite players.
Molly Quinn

There is no artist in Spokane like Molly Quinn. Her whimsical style is instantly recognizable to readers of The Spokesman-Review. She has painted gorgeous illustrations that instantly elevate the journalism accompanying it. She brings to life the stories that defy photography. She makes our pages better.
Rob Curley

Spokesman-Review editor Rob Curley loves to talk with people and learn about their lives, whether it's a best-selling author or a stranger he meets downtown on his walk to lunch. It's that inquisitive nature combined with a playful sense of storytelling that helps make our newspaper different than most.