Pipeline blow-off prompts explosion reports in Smith Township
National Fuel workers continued maintenance on the pipeline along Phyllis Road in Bulger after a Tuesday morning release of pressurized natural gas caused emergency personnel to respond to the loud noise and smell.
A letter dropped off to neighbors on Phyllis Road warned of the gas release.
The smell of propane hung in the air along Phyllis Road hours after a controlled release of the pressurized gas at a National Fuel pipeline site caused residents to call 911 because they thought it was an explosion.
“The whooshing sound started around 9 a.m., and it could be heard in Candor, almost five miles away from the site,” said Cathy Lodge of Meinrad Drive.
Department of Environmental Protection spokesman John Poister said the company was conducting a gas line blow-off, which releases pressure from gas lines.
“National Fuel Supply Corp. vented natural gas at two points on its Line N pipeline in Bulger and Independence townships. … Representatives notified county emergency management agencies, local natural gas distribution companies and area residents. … Venting was completed at 11:10 a.m.,” said National Fuel spokeswoman Carly Manino.
“This sounded like a jet engine. It sounded like the roaring you’d hear from a flaring well site, but it was much louder. It started around 9 and lasted for about 30 minutes at that loudness level, then it kept whooshing at a lower volume for another hour or so,” said Karen Brockman of Prospect Street.
A letter from National Fuel was delivered Monday to neighbors on Phyllis Road, which read, in part, “We request that individuals stay away from the area of our pipeline during this maintenance work. There will be a planned release of natural gas on Oct. 13 at 9:00 a.m.”
“It was a white plume, like a cloud, but a really loud cloud,” said Robert McCloud of Phyllis Road, who received one of the letters.
Neighbors said Midway Fire Department was called to the scene, but no injuries or further incidents were reported. Washington County Director of Emergency Services Jeff Yates said the county received complaints but did not investigate because gas blow-offs are fairly common.