W.Va. gas explosion burns 5 homes, shuts highway

2:28 PM, Dec 11, 2012   |    comments
Gas line explosion along Interstate 77 in Sissonville also demolished five homes, Dec. 11, 2012.
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SISSONVILLE, W. Va. (AP) - A section of interstate highway in West Virginia will remain closed for two days, after the roadway was damaged by a fire that also engulfed at least five homes.  

An explosion in a natural gas line caused the hour-long inferno along Interstate 77 in Sissonville. No injuries have been reported, but firefighters were kept away from the homes until late afternoon by the intense flames.  

One man who lives about a half-mile away says the sound was like "a turbine engine." A county official says flames were shooting 50 to 75 feet into the air. 

Police said there was a slight risk of a secondary explosion, but people were told to stay inside their homes rather than evacuate.

The Associated Press