A relief valve burst open about 3 a.m. Tuesday, venting natural gas from a line of Eastern Panhandle Pipeline Co. about a mile northeast of Montezuma, the Parke County Sheriff’s Department reports.
No flames were reported as a result of the venting, the sheriff’s department reports.
John Barnett, spokesman for Eastern Panhandle Pipeline Co., contacted Tuesday, said a relief valve was activated about 3 a.m. at the company’s Montezuma pressure station. “The valve closed about a half an hour later when pressure in the line was reduced,” Barnett said.
“The relief valve is built into the pipeline to relieve the pressure in the pipeline when it gets above a certain level. We don’t know what caused the relief valve to activate, but we are investigating it,” Barnett said.
“The relief valve did what it was supposed to do and what it was designed to do,” Barnett said, adding that the company doesn’t release figures on how much gas is dispersed in such incidents.
Parke County resident Thomas G. Morgan said the venting made the loudest sound he’d ever heard. Morgan said the gas line vented for at least two hours.
“It sounded liked like 100 trains going by or like a tornado. That is how much gas was escaping,” Morgan said. “I live in a farmhouse with thick walls and it could not have been louder. I’ve never heard anything like it. It was the loudest thing I’ve ever heard.”
“My wife thought it was tornado, but the trees weren’t blowing. Then we figured it out pretty quick. All the fire departments were there, but there was no fire. There was green glow up there.
“It was like the shades of British Petroleum – they could not turn off the gas,” Morgan said.
Morgan’s farmhouse is located a mile from the natural gas line and about 2 miles northeast of Montezuma along County Road 600 West.
Unusual Heat Wave Bakes Alaska
Hoffa Mystery Still Fascinates After 4 Decades
Raw: Massive Protests Fill Brazilian Streets
Raw: Volcano Erupts Near Mexico City
Raw: NASCAR Driver Jason Leffler Dies in Wreck
3 Charged in Ohio With Enslaving Mom, Daughter
Raw: Huge Fire Near Yosemite National Park
Fans Cheer Dramatic Heat Comeback
Ex-NFL Star Chad Johnson Out of Jail
Raw: Arizona Wildfire Scorches 8 Square Miles
Raw: German President Welcomes President Obama
Raw: 1 Dead in Shooting at Mo. Apartment Complex
Failed Cuba-to-Florida Swimmer Won't Try Again
Tiger on Sergio: 'It's Time to Move On'
Raw: Obama Arrives in Berlin
Raw: Marines Land Osprey on Japanese Ship
Suicide Bombs Target Baghdad Mosque, Killing 29
Obama Welcomes WNBA Champions to White House
Today in History June 19
Obama Seeks G-8 Support on Syria
Rihanna Hits Fan With Microphone During UK Concert
Obama Renews Call for Nuclear Reductions
Miami Heat Wins in Overtime
Fists, chairs fly in restaurant brawl
Journalist Michael Hastings Dies in Fiery Hollywood Crash
Hairy Leg Stockings Aim to Deflect Male Attention
Inside Kim Kardashian's Premature Labor
Three Charged for Enslaving Mother and Daughter
Spurs' Popovich has no problem with Spurs' intensity
RAW: NSA Director Says 50 Plots Foiled
Paige Butcher Scorches on Hawaii Beach
Video: worst way to load cargo onto a plane
Never-before-seen footage of '08 Times Square bomber
Obama: NSA Secret Data Gathering 'Transparent'
WATCH IT: Lil Wayne tramples American flag
Mariah Carey Looks Beautiful in a Tiny Cut-Out Swimsuit
Out of Control Boat Throws Passengers Overboard
See Lindsay Lohan in Rehab
