Pipeline Failure Resulted in Blast

Officials say it could be weeks before cause is known

Wheeling WV  Intelligencer
12 February 2011
By Tom Giambroni for The Intelligencer

DUNGANNON, Ohio - Officials say it may take months before they know what caused Thursday night's major gas pipeline explosion, the flames from which could be seen as far away as Steubenville and the Youngstown and Pittsburgh airports.

The explosion off McKaig Road about a mile west of Dungannon was the result of a "pipeline failure," according to Richard Wheatley, a spokesman for El Paso Corp., the parent firm of Tennessee Gas Pipeline.

"The federal investigation, they do take weeks and months to complete," he said.

The explosion occurred on the farm of Neil and Richard Zehentbauer about 10:30 p.m., sending a fireball shooting more than 200 feet into the air that could be seen from almost any high spot in Columbiana County and neighboring counties.

No one was injured, nor was there any known property damage, although many homes in Dungannon were reportedly shaken by the explosion and some showered with dirt.

A Dungannon man, who declined to be identified, said he watched the whole thing from his living room window, which became warm to the touch because of the flames, despite the 2 degree temperature outside.

"Let's just say I didn't have to go outside if I wanted a sun tan," he said.

The man said the flames could be seen high in the sky for more than two hours, and his screen door vibrated for at least that long due to pressure from the broken pipeline.

Wheatley described the sound as similar to that of a jet engine. In fact, some people who called the Tuscarawas County Sheriff's Office reported they thought an airplane had crashed because of the flames and the roaring sound.

The blast appeared to have occurred on the south side of McKaig Road, leaving a major crater in the hillside as well as in the nearby roadway. The explosion also ignited several round hay bales in the field.

A safety valve system automatically isolated the compromised section of pipeline and shut down the flow of natural gas on both ends, allowing the line to gradually be purged, a process that took all night. The situation was declared under control by 12:12 a.m. Friday, and the fire went on seven hours later.

Emergency response crews from Tennessee Gas were at the scene shortly after the explosion and more continued to arrive into Friday afternoon, including an inspection team that will determine what went wrong. Also at the scene were state inspectors.

Wheatley said the 36-inch pipeline - one of four Tennessee Gas pipelines traversing the county - was last subjected to an internal inspection in 2005, but it has undergone regular walking and aerial inspections since in accordance with state and federal regulations. He said the 2005 inspection uncovered no problems.

Tennessee Gas operates a series of pipelines sending natural gas from Gulf of Mexico states to the Northeast, with the first pipelines being constructed in 1943. Although Wheatley was unaware when the pipeline was installed, he said older pipelines are not necessarily more prone to problems than newer ones. He noted the extremely cold winter could have been a factor.

Seventeen fire departments were involved in some capacity or another, but the primary departments were from Hanover Township, Guilford Lake, Winona, Lisbon, Franklin Township and Minerva. Many of these fire departments initially thought the fire was within their jurisdictions because it could be easily seen from so many locations.

Hanover Township Fire Chief Tim Woods lives a quarter mile away from the explosion.

"As soon as I heard, I knew what we were dealing with," he said.

The county Emergency Management Agency's emergency operations center was also activated and temporary shelters were established at United Local High School, the Guilford Lake Ruritan Club and the fire hall in Summitville. They went unused, however, with residents deciding to either stay home or spend the night with relatives or friends.

Wheatley, who apologized to anyone who was frightened or inconvenienced by the explosion, said the company would pay for any expenses incurred by residents who spent the night elsewhere.

"We never like to wake anyone up in the middle of the night" with a pipeline explosion, he said. "We pride ourselves on being a good neighbor, and we don't want to do anything to spoil that."

The explosion did not result in any interruption of services to customers.

Chief Wood said only the repair crews and representatives from other utility companies were allowed on site until they declared it was safe for firefighters and others.

"There was nothing we could do, so we stayed out until the gas company reps told us it was safe to enter," he said.

Allen Haueter, chief deputy sheriff, said authorities had to contend with sightseers who began showing up almost immediately after the explosion.

"The traffic was horrendous, the worst I've ever seen. People were coming from all over just to gawk," he said.

There were lines of curious motorists coming from every direction, clogging access to McKaig Road and hampering the efforts of emergency personnel going to the scene and residents who were trying to leave. Haueter said they managed to clear the access roads of traffic.

"We got rid of all of the vehicles and then we shut down the road," Haueter said.

Curious motorists continued to show up Friday only to be turned away by deputies stationed at each end of McKaig Road, which remains closed near the site. El Paso is paying the overtime being incurred by the deputies and other related expenses.

County Commissioner Jim Hoppel said Congressman Bill Johnson, R-Ohio, called him after learning of the explosion, which made all the major domestic news outlets and some foreign news services.

Johnson "said he had been briefed about the situation and spoke with the (company), and he said if we needed any help to just call," Hoppel said.