By Marlon A. Walker
The News & Observer (Raleigh, North Carolina)
Copyright 2006 The News and Observer
DURHAM, N.C. — What started out as a vehicle accident in Durham County near the Orange County line escalated when a gas line ruptured Monday, sending flames shooting dozens of feet in the air late Monday night.
According to Capt. Howard Sykes of the Lebanon Volunteer Fire Department, a vehicle crashed into above-ground gas equipment off St. Mary’s Road near the Hardscrabble subdivision about 9:30 p.m., rupturing a 12-inch gas line and starting the blaze.
Shortly after midnight, workers from the natural gas utility PSNC had turned off the ruptured line and the fire was “rapidly dissipating.” As a precaution, Piedmont Electric had turned off power to customers in the surrounding area, Sykes said.
“We’ve been able to send in fire fighters to get it mopped up,” he said around 12:30 a.m. today. “Right now, gas service is off in the area.”
Colleen Helms was in her home talking on the phone with a relative in South Dakota when she heard what she said sounded like “a plane was going over [the house].”
The lights in the home she shares with her husband flickered. Moments later, it was pitch black. Helms, her husband, Roger, and several neighbors were evacuated from their homes for about 15 minutes while emergency workers investigated the scene.
“This is the most excitement we’ve had in the area,” said Colleen Helms, who has lived in her home 19 years.
The driver of the vehicle was taken to the hospital to be treated for his injuries. The driver’s name and the severity of his injuries were not immediately known, Sykes said.