Pipeline Explosion Closes I-5
A natural gas pipeline exploded early Tuesday, shutting down traffic on Interstate 5 in southern Oregon for about an hour and forcing evacuation of nearby homes.
No one was injured, and repair crews are investigating the cause, authorities said.
Witnesses reported seeing the sky turn orange and red as they heard an explosion about 5 a.m. But by the time fire crews arrived, the flames apparently had blown out in the rush of escaping gas, said Tom Greene, deputy fire chief in Wolf Creek.
The explosion left a crater about 30 feet wide and 8 feet deep and splashed trees and vegetation with mud and debris in a circle at least 100 feet wide, Greene said.
About 30 feet of Northwest Pipeline Co.’s line serving southern Oregon was damaged, and a repair crew shut off valves at both ends before beginning repairs, said company spokesman John Nicksich. There was no word when repairs might be completed.
WP Natural Gas was able to continue supplying gas to southern Oregon customers from another line, said spokesman Pat Lynch.
WP is a subsidiary of Washington Water Power Co.
Lynch said 26 customers with rate plans that allow the utility to interrupt service when supplies are short were cut off but were reconnected later in the day.
To serve three farm families who connect directly to the Northwest pipeline, portable compressed gas units were provided, he said.
, DataTimes