Damaged pipeline causes explosion in rural Pine County
A damaged pipeline caused an explosion in Pine County, Minnesota, on Friday.
Officials said 911 operators were inundated with calls around 1:45 p.m. on reports of an explosion in a rural area west of Willow River.
Several fire departments and other law enforcement agencies were dispatched to the area. When they arrived on scene, they determined a large gas line was involved. A pipeline was damaged, according to Minnesota Energy Resources.
Several addresses near the pipeline were asked to evacuate at the time. Officials said no injuries were reported and that nothing criminal is suspected.
With the damage to the pipeline, natural gas could no longer be sent to the Minnesota Energy Resources system. About 650 customers had their natural gas services interrupted.
The Minnesota Energy Resources is working to restore service. A temporary solution has been put in place to restore gas to impacted customers.