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Natural gas explosions in Texas, 7 injured

Sputnik
Thu, 02 Aug 2018 16:37 UTC

The blast took place some 20 miles southeast of Midland, in Western Texas, AP reports. According to authorities, the gas pipeline was hit by a row of explosions.

Midland's spokeswoman Elana Ladd told KOSA-TV in Odessa that the number of those injured by a series of explosions on a West Texas natural gas pipeline has risen to seven. Initially, five people were reported wounded, among them a volunteer firefighter and four pipeline staff.

There has been no immediate reports on possible causes of the blasts.

In total there were three explosions, as after the fire from the first blast had been suppressed, another two explosions followed.

Comment: More from Reuters:

Natural gas pipeline explosion in Texas critically injures five

A series of natural gas pipeline explosions in Midland County, Texas sent five people to hospital with critical burn injuries, and interrupted energy pipeline operations in the area, officials said.

The region is the home to the Permian Basin, the largest U.S. oilfield, and is crisscrossed by oil and gas pipelines. The cause of the explosion and fire were not immediately known.

Five workers with critical injuries were airlifted to University Medical Center in Lubbock, Texas, and were being treated at the center's burn unit, said University Medical Center spokesman Eric Finley.

Pipeline operator Kinder Morgan said on Wednesday it had isolated a portion of its El Paso Natural Gas Pipeline (EPNG) as a precaution, after being alerted to the fire near its line. One of its employees was injured and taken to hospital, spokeswoman Sara Hughes said.

"There was a third-party pipeline involved that also experienced a failure, and preliminary indications are that the third-party line failure occurred before the EPNG line failure," Kinder Morgan's Hughes said in an email.

The company is investigating the cause of the fire and evaluating any damage to its property. Regulatory agencies and customers were notified of the incident, she added.

"Fire Department personnel suppressed the fire, however approximately one hour later a second and third small explosion followed," said Elana Ladd, public information officer for the city of Midland, in emailed comments.

Multiple pipelines are located near the site, Ladd said, adding that first responders were focusing on shutting off pressure and flow to the pipelines at the site.

The pipeline explosion occurred on a rural road, FM 1379, about five miles south of Highway 158 at around 11:30 a.m. local time (1630 GMT), Ladd said, adding that the road had been closed.

No further information on the injured was immediately available.

Ladd identified one of the injured as a firefighter.