Tennessee Gas Pipeline (TGP) experienced a rupture and explosion at about 8:45 a.m. EST Wednesday in a rural part of southeastern Ohio. One person was treated for respiratory symptoms and two structures were damaged.

TGP said its personnel responded “to a release of natural gas from a company pipeline in a rural area of Morgan County near Gloucester, OH. A home and a barn, in the area of State Hwy. 329 and Hooper Ridge Road, were involved in a fire…”

The pipeline later in the day declared a force majeure and in a customer notice said it “has confirmed a rupture in line 4 between MLV [Main Line Valve] 205-4 to MLV 206-4 near Gloucester, OH. This area of the pipeline has been isolated and secured to prepare for the investigation process. At this time Tennessee does not expect any restrictions of service due to this force majeure.”

The Emergency Management Agency for nearby Athens County, OH, said “explosions resulted in a large number of fires along a stretch of the pipeline.” Spokesman Ron Lucas Jr. told NGI that the stretch of pipeline is underground and that there was no excavation believed to be going on in the area at the time of the incident. All fires were said to have been extinguished shortly before noon local time Wednesday.

TGP said it is too early to determine the cause of the incident. The pipeline company said it was notified of the incident at about 8:45 EST Wednesday. “The company quickly activated its emergency response plan, dispatched personnel to isolate and remove pressure on the pipeline, and regulatory agencies have been notified,” it said.

According to press reports, witnesses said they saw flames that shot hundreds of feet into the air. An hour later the fire had substantially subsided.

TGP runs through southeastern Ohio and has been a traditional route for gas from the Gulf Coast region to make its way to midwestern and eastern markets. However, segments of the pipeline have become full in recent months with gas produced from the Pennsylvania portion of the Marcellus Shale (see Daily GPI, Nov. 2).

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