Gas pipeline explodes near interstate in rural Virginia, no injuries reported

STRASBURG, Va. (AP) — A gas line exploded Tuesday near a highway in rural western Virginia, but no injuries were reported, according to local officials.

TC Energy said it was notified of a fire after there was a pressure drop in its Columbia Gas Transmission Pipeline along Interstate 81 around 8:40 a.m., the company said in a statement. That section of the pipeline near Strasburg was isolated as a precaution, TC Energy said.

Witnesses saw the explosion in a field off Interstate 81 after 8 a.m. and called authorities, Shenandoah County Sheriff’s Office spokesperson Denise Vollmer said by telephone. The explosion happened near Battlefield Road and Copp Road, she said.

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The interstate was closed briefly, but the fire has been contained, Vollmer said. No structures were threatened, she said.

TC Energy said it is working with local authorities to investigate the explosion.

Strasburg is about 80 miles (129 kilometers) west of Washington, D.C.