Ky. Gas Line Explosion Destroys Homes, Injures 2
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@Mike_Clink34/Twitter | @sivadmk/Twitter(ADAIR COUNTY, Ky.) — A natural gas explosion Thursday morning in Adair County, Kentucky, destroyed at least two nearby homes and sent at least two people to the hospital, county EMA director Greg Thomas told ABC News.
The underground gas line exploded at around 1 a.m. Thursday morning, leaving a crater in the ground 60 feet around, Thomas said. Two homes were completely destroyed and another damaged.
At least one person was transported to a local hospital with burns and another was brought to the hospital for evaluation, Thomas said.
Officials with Westlake Regional Hospital declined to release information on any patients connected to the explosion.
Both victims have since been released from the hospital, according to Jason Rector of the American Red Cross.
Rector was at the scene of the explosion with a group of American Red Cross volunteers delivering food and support to emergency workers and victims whose houses were involved.
Area fire departments, police and emergency responders also were lending support.
Rector told ABC News a gymnasium attached to the local fire department was being assessed to determine its suitability to provide short- or long-term accommodation for victims affected by the explosion.
Rector estimated at least 20-30 people live in the close proximity to the explosion site, but could not determine how many had been affected.
“We didn’t get up close to the crater because there were still flames shooting several feet in the air,” Rector said. “They had got the pipeline shut off in both directions, but the excess gas remaining in the pipe was still burning when I left.”
Michael Clinkscales, a student at Lindsey Wilson College, was with his fiancee Kaitlyn Davis when the explosion happened. Their photographs — taken about 20 miles away from the site of the explosion — showed the night sky illuminated by bright flames.
Adair County is located in south-central Kentucky.
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