| 2013-0752 | 05:41:24 | UPDATE FROM RM911: According to Erie FPD Asst. Chief Scott Melton, the Erie FPD received a report of a fire in a cornfield at 11:14 PM on Albany Rd. north of I-88 in Newton Township. On arrival they encountered a 300 ft. tall fire emitting from a ruptured 10" pipeline carrying a mixture of ethane and propane. Their village, in conjunction with the Whiteside County Sheriff's Dept. and a mutual aid engine from Albany, began evacuating houses in a one-mile radius. Residents from 80 houses were evacuated to the fire station in Erie. Shutoff valves were located 5 miles in one direction and 10 miles in the other. The pipeline's owner, Houston based Enterprise Products, was able to close down the 10 mile section into a smaller segment to allow the gas to burn off faster. As of 5 AM the size of the flame had decreased to just 5 ft. and the residents of all but 2 houses had been allowed to return to their homes. | RM911 |