Vehicle Hit Natural Gas Pipeline In Mansfield
Around 2 am this morning I woke up to a rumbling vibration, and wondered why is there a big truck idling in our bedroom. I checked Facebook to see if anyone knew why our house was softly shaking, and saw reports of an explosion at 360 & 287.
People from Venus, Waxahachie, Midlothian and Granbury were reporting what they described as a loud explosion that shook the ground.
Mansfield Police and Fire Department began evacuating residents in a one mile radius from the 7-11 on 287 & 360 as well as diverting traffic from 287. You could see the flare of the gas line from our vantage point in Midlothian at 287 & Harvest Hill Church.
Around 3:15 am we drove towards the fire and saw the flame go out like a light switch before we reached 287 NB at Prairie Ridge where Ellis County Sheriffs had the highway shut down. Shortly afterwards Mansfield Fire Department announced Atmos was able to shut the pipeline off.
Great job by Mansfield Police and Fire Departments in handling a dangerous and rapidly evolving situation so quickly.
UPDATE as of 4:00 am -Residents who evacuated may return home. There are still some road closures in the area, including 287.
****3:35 am – The gas has been shut down and the fire is extinguished*****
Major Incident Mansfield Fire Department
At around 1:00 am on March 23, a vehicle ran into natural gas pipeline. There is a major fire. Hwy 287 is shutdown in all directions. Residents within a one mile radius are being evacuated. Those who need assistance with sheltering, Annette Perry Elementary School is available. The address is 1261 S. Main Street.
Mansfield FD, Arlington FD, Grand Prairie FD, Mansfield PD are all working to evacuate those who need to.
One person has been transported with major injuries. This is a very active scene and we will post updates as we can.
