Lincoln County Gas Pipe Explosion: 1 Dead, 5 Injured

A massive explosion and fire from a ruptured gas pipeline in Lincoln county in Kentucky early Thursday left at least one dead and five people injured, and led to the evacuation of people around the area of the blast.

The Lincoln County Coroner's Office said the explosion took place in the Bowens Loop Road area in the Moreland community near Junction City and Hustonville. Emergency crews have succeeded in shutting off the gas, reported local news channel WKYT.

According to the coroner’s office at least one person was confirmed dead. Emergency managers added that five are injured, and they are still accounting for people.

The explosion took place on the Texas eastern transmission pipeline, which is owned and operated by Enbridge. It stretches from New York City to Mexican border in Texas, for almost 9,000 miles.

The U.S. 127 highway was closed in the area due to the explosion, but has been partially re-opened. Several structures were on fire in the Indian camp trailer park. Railroad tracks in the area have been destroyed.

Emergency managers estimated that the flames rose almost 300 feet in the air, at their peak. Chief Meteorologist Chris Bailey said the fire showed up on the Louisville weather radar.

A company spokesperson said, “Enbridge is aware of and is responding to a rupture on the Texas Eastern system in Lincoln County, Kentucky. Our first concern is for those impacted by this event and ensuring the safety of the community. Our teams are coordinating with first responders to secure the site. We have isolated the affected line and are working closely with emergency responders to manage the situation. We will provide more information as it becomes available.”

People living within a one mile radius of the explosion have been evacuated. Crews managed to evacuate 75 people from the scene, WKYT reported, while several others voluntarily evacuated. The New Hope Baptist Church, a local church in the area, is providing shelter to the people who are affected by the incident.

A person who was evacuated told WKYT, "I woke us up and it was just a big roar and fire going all the way up in the sky as far as you could see. Our windows were shaking really bad and you could see the ground just moving and tumbling and rolling. Then we got to feeling the heat from this fire, so we got in our vehicle to get away from it."