Enbridge natural gas pipeline explodes in Noble County, Ohio

An Enbridge-operated natural gas pipeline has exploded in Noble County, Ohio, US, damaging homes and injuring two people.

The explosion took place on Enbridge’s Texas Eastern pipeline system and resulted in a fire, prompting the evacuation of residents near the pipeline.

In response to the incident, the company engaged its personnel and reported that the fire has since been contained.

In a statement, Enbridge said: “Our first concern is for the safety of the community and our employees. We have activated our emergency response plan and are cooperating with authorities in our response.

“There was a fire, which has been contained, and residents within the proximity of the incident have been evacuated.”

The company shut in field operations and isolated the affected pipeline section.

According to the firm, this section of pipe was built in 1952-53. The company conducted an in-line inspection of the line in 2012 and concluded that no remediation was needed.

Noble County emergency management director Chasity Schmelzenbach was quoted by Reuters as saying: “We got reports flames were shooting (up) 80ft to 200ft. You could see it upwards of 10-15 miles away. Lots of people thought it was in their backyard because it does appear large.”

The news agency reported that the US Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration has sent an investigator to the explosion site.

The Texas Eastern system has 9,096 miles of pipeline and transports natural gas from the US Gulf Coast and Texas to markets in the northeastern part of the country.

With a capacity to transport 11.69Bcf/d of natural gas, the pipeline caters fuel to electric generation facilities.

Last year, a ruptured Enbridge gas pipeline exploded in northern British Columbia, Canada, causing supply disruptions throughout the Pacific Coast. The incident affected the operations of several Washington state refineries.