Witnesses say the blast in Center Township sounded like a plane crash and caused the sky to erupt in an orange blaze.

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WEBVTT REPORTER: SAM ROW SAD DOE WAS ABLE TO GET BACK TO HIS PROPERTY TODAY, 24 HOURS AFTER THAT EXPLOSION. HIS HOME IS JUST BEYOND THESE CONES, AND HE WAS ABLE TO GET DOWN THERE TODAY. HE SAYS IT WAS QUITE EMOTIONAL BUT HE CAPTURED IMAGES OF WHAT IS LEFT BEHIND. >> NOTHING LEFT. IT LOOKS LIKES WHAT YOU SEE IN THE MOVIES, YOU KNOW, NAPALM. REPORTER: FOR SAM CAPTURING THESE PHOTOS WAS DIFFICULT. MONDAY MORNING, HE ACE LIFE AND THEIR TEN-YEAR-OLD NIECE WAS ASLEEP IN THEIR HOME HERE WHEN THEY WERE JARRED AWAKE BY WHAT HE DESCRIBED AS ROARING AND HISSING SOUNDS. HE SAYS HE KNEW IT WAS THE ENERGY TRANSFER PIPELINE RUNNING NEAR THEIR HOME. >> WE TOOK OFF AND BY THE TIME WE GOT HALFWAY UP THE DRIVEWAY WE TURNED AROUND AND LOOKED DOWN AND YOU COULD SEE THE FLAMES OVER TOP OF THE HOUSE. REPORTER: THESE ARE THE IMAGES OF THE FIRE CAPTURED BY HIS NEIGHBOR. BEING BACK TODAY HE SAYS WAS TOUGH AND LIKELY THE LAST TIME. HE SAYS HIS WIFE DOES NOT WANT TO REBUILD HERE. >> SHE IS STILL TOO SHOOK UP TO EVEN THINK ABOUT, YOU KNOW, FROM THEM SOUNDS THAT WE HEARD, AND THE SPARKS PELTING OFF THE WINDOWS AND EVERYTHING LIKE THAT, BUT HEY WE GOT OUT. THAT WAS THE MAIN THING. REPORTER: OFFICIALS FROM ENERGY TRANSFER SAY AT THIS POINT THEY DO BELIEVE THIS PIPELINE EXPLOSION WAS THE RUPLT OF

Advertisement Landslide may be to blame for Beaver County explosion, pipeline owner says Witnesses say the blast in Center Township sounded like a plane crash and caused the sky to erupt in an orange blaze. Share Shares Copy Link Copy

A methane gas explosion leveled one house and prompted the evacuation of about 30 other homes in Center Township, Beaver County, early Monday morning. Witnesses said the blast sent flames more than 100 feet into the air.Dallas-based Energy Transfer, the company that owns the 24-inch pipeline, said an initial assessment of the site showed a landslide in the vicinity. An investigation was continuing Tuesday.People living on Ivy Lane and Pine Street said they awoke to the flames and the loud explosion at 5 a.m. Monday."I got on the other side of my house and look out the window and the whole sky was in flames," Fortunato Luca said.Other witnesses said the explosion sounded like a plane crash and caused the sky to erupt in an orange blaze."We were in bed, and it sounded like there was an 18-wheeler truck right outside our bedroom window, and the earth shook," Karen Kdula said. "Jumped out of bed, looked out and saw flames all the way into the sky, taller than the 150-foot pine trees that happened to be there in the neighborhood, and heard the hissing."Tom Demarco saw the fire as close as someone in that area could. He lives next door and was home when the explosion that rocked his house. He captured the aftermath on camera (seen in the tweet below)."Mind-blowing," Demarco said. "Five o'clock in the morning, I heard the noise, I had the blinds drawn and all I could see were the flames."Power lines were downed after the explosion caused a chain reaction, pulling down more towers and causing power lines above Interstate 376 to be lower than they should. About 1,500 people were left in the dark, and Bunker Hill Road was blocked."Fortunately for all this rain that we've had, I think it helped prevent the spread of any kind of forest fire that would have burned at a much quicker rate," Center Township Police Chief Barry Kramer said.Kramer expressed disappointment that the gas line was only in service for seven days before the explosion happened.Center Township Fire Chief Bill Brucker said getting the evacuation underway wasn't easy."The heat was intense. The flames were intense," Brucker said. "Public safety is what was important, so we dealt with that, got the evacuation progressed, got people back."Because of the downed power lines, the Central Valley School District canceled school Monday and I-376 was closed in both directions for some time. "My house was vibrating," said Demarco. "I tried to call my neighbor, but he was already running up the driveway. I called 911 and the emergency people came and evacuated us."Below is a statement from Energy Transfer to Pittsburgh's Action News 4:The incident this morning was on a 24" natural gas gathering line in Beaver County, PA. There were no injuries and the area is secure. This incident, which occurred at approximately 5 am Eastern time was detected by our monitoring system, which triggered the closing of valves to isolate the line. By around 7 am, the fire on the pipeline had extinguished itself. There were evacuations from several homes in the area. Most of those evacuated have been allowed to return to their homes. All of the appropriate regulatory notifications have been made. An initial site assessment reveals evidence of a landslide in the vicinity of the pipeline. The line, which was being readied for service has been safely isolated and depressurized until a thorough investigation can be completed as our first priority continues to be on the safety of the community.All evacuees from the explosion in Center Township were allowed to go back to their residences.