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.
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."