Louisiana - Interstate 20 shut down because of pipeline fire

ksla.com ^ | December 14, 2007

[HAL9000]

Excerpt -

DELHI, La. (AP) - Interstate 20, a major east-west route across north Louisiana was shut down Friday afternoon after a nearby oil pipeline erupted in flames.

Sgt. Markus Smith of the Louisiana State police says the explosion happened about 1 pm.

Details were sketchy, but Smith says the pipeline was burning just east of Delhi, a small town about 200 miles northwest of New Orleans. The dispatcher for the Richland Parish Sheriff's Department, who would not give his name, says the oil line is about 50 yards from the interstate. He says the four-mile stretch from Delhi to the Waverly exit will be closed in both directions indefinitely.

This is the second time in weeks an interstate highway has been shut down because of an oil line fire.

~ snip ~

[JustaDumbBlonde]

Posted some additional photos, just in case you were interested.

[upchuck]

Thanks for the memory :)

I was beginning to wonder about mine.

[SaveTheChief]

We actually stayed in Vicksburg while we were there, and only ate in town a couple of days. One time was a place in a strip center, and another time we opted for eating in my car at Sonic.

[SaveTheChief]

That had to be quite a blast. Thanks for sharing the photos. It will be interesting to learn what caused the accident. The only thing I can think of is an overpressure of the line but usually there are safety mechanisms to prevent things like that from happening.

[Figment]

“We’re maybe going to build a natural gas pipeline 52 inches diameter from Prudhoe Bay to Chicago”

Damn, that’s big pipe. Who’s going to make it? The two mills that made the 48 inch for Alaska are shut down. A project like this is a one and done

[B4Ranch]

Thanks for the photos.

[Kieri]

Lovely...gasoline prices here in MI will spike $.20 overnight because of this. It won't matter it was a natural gas pipeline.

[GOPJ]

Thanks for sharing.

[JustaDumbBlonde]

Y’all are very welcome.

[Rumplemeyer]

Possibly 1,200 psi, transmission pressure varies with volume.

Still, it is an awesome site.

[RightWhale]

Who’s going to make it?

There were six proposals. One, the likeliest, was nonresponsive. Another, the Chinese, seems to be blocked in Congress. At this time nobody knows and everybody has an opinion. Experts on every streetcorner.

[Mr. Lucky]

Perhaps her honor can raise taxes to offset the effects of higher gasoline prices.

[Old Professer]

[Old Professer]

Are you sure it is natural gas? Natural gas doesn’t “puddle” to await a spark - this blast supposedly picked up a car and threw it off the interstate.

Propane has that sort of nature.

[Old Professer]

You should give your phone number to the idiot media people who don’t know the difference between an explosion and a conflagration.

[JustaDumbBlonde]

The pipeline runs near the Bayou Macon and past about a mile of our property line and it is marked as a natural gas pipeline, so I'm pretty sure. But here is some information I found online to support my contention:

Columbia Gulf Reports Explosion Downstream of Delhi Compressor which states:

"Columbia Gulf confirmed that there was an explosion on the 100 Line downstream of the Delhi Compressor station in North Louisiana Friday afternoon. Company officials have not been able to determine the extent of the damage or how it will affect weekend gas flows on the mainline, but currently the entire mainline, including all three pipelines, is shut down. That area of the pipeline can carry 2.2 Bcf/d and about 2.0 Bcf/d was scheduled to flow today. Columbia said a notice on the accident would be released shortly. Delhi is the main constraint point on Columbia Gulf between the Perryville Hub and northern market areas."

Columbia Gas Transmission Co. provides the following information:

"Columbia Gas Transmission transports an average of 3 billion cubic feet of natural gas per day through a 12,000-mile pipeline network and 103 compressor stations serving hundreds of communities in 10 states. Our customers include local gas distribution companies, energy marketers, electric power generating facilities and hundreds of industrial and commercial end users. Columbia Transmission also owns and operates one of North America's largest underground natural gas storage systems that includes 36 storage fields in four states with nearly 600 billion cubic feet in total capacity. Using depleted natural gas production reservoirs, we safely store gas when demand is low so it can be made available to our customers during times of peak usage."

[JustaDumbBlonde]

Perhaps y’all can set the pipeline owners and operators straight, since they are calling the incident an explosion as well.

[mama bear 43]

please have a little compassion how u word things on here things like getting some good fire wood,having a wennie roast your pictures were very helpful they gave my children some answers u see the man that was killed was there father but it upset them and their step-mother to see some not very tactful comments so rember when u post something someones child,wife,mother,sister,brother maybe reading ur posts please keep them in ur prayers in memory of their father corbin cole fawcett

[Rte66]

Oh, bless your hearts. Condolences on your loss. I’m so sorry for your family at this Christmastime. May the Lord comfort you as you try to deal with it. I will remember you and the children in my prayers.

{{{Huggsss}}}

[SE Mom]

Oh dear, I am so sorry.