14 DAY TRIAL // A construction crew has accidentally drilled into a pipeline in Texas, prompting evacuations in a small town.
The Chevron Corp liquefied gas pipeline burst when a construction crew working with excavators drilled into it by mistake, at about 9:40 a.m.
The incident took place in Milford, 50 miles south of Dallas, Los Angeles Times reports. A large part of Milford was evacuated and about 700 residents camped out at a gym in the neighbor town of Italy.
The company confirmed the blast at the 10-inch (25.4-cm) line. After the initial explosion, they put out a statement clarifying that the gas "has been shut off and residual burn continues."
Officials at the federal Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration and the Environmental Protection Agency were dispatched on site to check on how the problem was being fixed.
The company evacuated five workers yesterday after "excavation activities" led to the blast. No injuries have been reported at this point.
A Chevron-owned 14-inch (35.5-cm) liquefied gas pipeline is located near the source of the original explosion, and it was being watched yesterday. The gas was not stopped in the second line, as it would increase chances of a second blast.
"There are some signs, but we're monitoring that," Milford Fire Chief Mark Jackson describes.
The accident has taken place close to the town of West, where an explosion killed 15 people and injured about 160.
Twelve casualties at West were firefighters, which prompted a reevaluation of practices and response times.
"Most of the people here on this scene were at West. It's amazing how smooth the response has been. We learned a lot from West. It went by the book; everybody was accountable and we knew who was here. Right now it's really just a waiting game," Tom Hemrick, Hill County Emergency Management director, says.