The Associated Press
PAWNEE, Ill. — An explosion in a natural gas pipeline sent a fireball several hundred feet into the air early Sunday, but caused no injuries, authorities said.
The pipeline break and explosion occurred before dawn in a farm field just north of Pawnee, said Assistant Pawnee Fire Chief John Archer.
Archer said the 24-inch pipeline owned by the Panhandle Eastern Pipeline Co. failed at a spot near a creek bed and sent an orange fireball into the air about 15 miles southeast of Springfield.
Witnesses said they could see the initial fire from several miles away.
The fire was extinguished by mid-afternoon and 50 to 75 area residents who had been evacuated as a precaution were allowed to return to their homes, said firefighter Walt Funsch.
Archer said one house about 100 yards from the pipeline suffered minor exterior damage from the heat of the fire.
“It’s a mostly rural area, so there aren’t many people or houses around,” Archer said.