Cause of Pipeline Fire Still Unknown

January 26, 2004

DAVENPORT, N.Y. -- People remained evacuated from their homes Monday following a gas pipeline fire, officials said.

The propane transmission line appeared to have ruptured Sunday evening in a rural area about an hour southwest of Albany. A trailer home caught fire and 25 people within a half mile were evacuated, according to emergency officials.

No injuries were reported.

Crews were still burning off the liquefied petroleum gas Monday in a "controlled flare" aimed at emptying an isolated section of the underground pipeline, said Kathleen Sauve, a spokeswoman for Houston-based TEPPCO Partners, which operates the pipeline.

Sauve said investigators will look into the cause of the fire after the flare empties the pipeline. The gas was expected to burn off Monday.

Sauve said it would be premature to speculate on the cause of the fire. She said the underground pipeline, 8 inches wide, had been inspected within the past few months.
The pipeline runs from the Texas Gulf Coast to the Northeast.

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