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Fire erupts at pumping station
06/02/2008 12:01 - (SA)
Nashville, Tennessee - A massive fire erupted at a natural gas pumping station in a rural area, spreading to houses and killing an undetermined number of people, authorities said.
Officials weren't sure what started the fire late on Tuesday at the Columbia Gulf Natural Gas pumping station near Green Grove, about 65km northeast of Nashville, but said it could have been related to severe storms that swept the South on Tuesday, killing more than 20 people.
"We do not know at this time what caused it, and we are attempting to get close enough to get some information," said Tennessee Emergency Management spokesperson Donnie Smith. "These flames are shooting 400, 500 feet in the air." (Equivalent to 120-150m)
The mayor of Westmoreland, a city about 11km from the site, said the fire started around 22:00 and spread to nearby houses. Casualties have been reported in Macon County, and several people are reported missing, Ricky Woodard said.
Tennessee Highway Patrol spokesperson Mike Browning said the station could have been damaged by a line of severe storms that moved through Tennessee shortly before the fire broke out. The weather system also spawned tornadoes that killed at least eight people on Tuesday.
Kelly Merritt, a spokesperson for Columbia Gulf Transmission Co, confirmed the fire at the company's Hartsville compressor station but said he didn't have details.
Merritt said the company is shutting off the gas on both sides of the station, which is used to boost pressure along the gas line that runs from Louisiana to the West Virginia-Kentucky border.
Merritt said the station is not manned around the clock.
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