Homes evacuated after Ark. oil pipeline ruptures

AP

MAYFLOWER, Ark. (AP) — Authorities are evacuating at least 50 homes after a crude oil pipeline ruptured in central Arkansas and spilled oil into a nearby lake.

Arkansas Department of Emergency Management spokesman Brandon Morris says an Exxon pipeline ruptured Friday afternoon near Mayflower, a small city about 20 miles northwest of Little Rock.

Morris says authorities have since stopped the leak. But he says a small amount of oil was released into the nearby Lake Conway, though it wasn't clear exactly how much. He says authorities are evacuating homes in a subdivision near where the pipeline ruptured.

A spokeswoman for ExxonMobil says she's looking into the incident.