Oasis Pipeline, an intrastate system owned and operated by Energy Transfer Partners (ETP), ruptured shortly before 7 a.m. CDT Wednesday near Bellville, TX, about 50 miles northwest of Houston. The affected pipe is 36 inches in diameter.

There was no fire or injuries, ETP spokeswoman Meredith Hargrove confirmed. Supplies were rerouted around the blast site and no service interruptions were required, she said.

The company already had crews working on the problem by Wednesday afternoon, she added, but it has no projection yet on when the cause will be determined and a restoration of flows can be effected.

According to Reuters news service, Austin County Emergency Management Coordinator Ray Chislett had reported containment of the gas leak by mid-morning and said nearby residents were ordered to evacuate, then told to shelter in place until further notice.

A local-area newspaper, the Brenham Banner, said the “shelter in place” order was later lifted. The nearest home to the site is about a half-mile away, the Banner said, and there was no work being done in the area at the time of the rupture.

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