A natural gas pipeline rupture Tuesday night near the Oklahoma Texas border in the Oklahoma Panhandle sent flames shooting nearly 500 feet into the air.
It was in Beaver County, just north of the small Texas Panhandle town of Darrouzett where the flames lit up the night sky for miles around the area.
One report said the pipeline was owned by DCP Midstream, a firm headquartered in Denver, Colorado. The company describes itself as “one of the largest natural gas liquids producers and marketers” and “one of the largest natural gas processors in the United States” with assets in nine states.
Fire crews from Oklahoma and Texas responded to the towering fire and remained safe distances away until the flow of gas was turned off. Reports suggested that an estimated 13 miles of pipeline would have to be drained.
Initial news reports indicated the cause of the rupture had not been determined.
As a result of the fire, Phillips 66 shut down a section of the pipeline it operates.