The natural-gas transmission pipeline explosion that raked a portion of Morgan County yesterday was caused by a pipeline failure, investigators announced this afternoon.

Update:

The natural-gas transmission pipeline explosion that raked a portion of Morgan County yesterday was caused by a pipeline failure, investigators announced this afternoon.

Investigators found no evidence that the pipeline was accidentally or intentionally breached, according to the Morgan County sheriff’s office and state fire marshal’s office.

Following the failure of the pipeline, a spark from the resulting debris, static electricity or nearby electrical transformers ignited the escaping cloud of gas, investigators said. The blast created a 30-foot-wide by 15-foot-deep crater.

In the wake of the blast, U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, called for the House of Representatives to pass a Senate-approved bill that would strengthen pipeline safety standards and impose larger penalties for safety violations.

“Ohioans should have confidence that natural gas pipelines throughout our state are safe,” Brown said in a statement.

Previous coverage:

JACKSONVILLE, Ohio — Hooper Ridge was scarred yesterday by the explosion of a natural-gas pipeline that sent a plume of fire hundreds of feet into the air and set buildings ablaze in the Morgan County countryside.

Only slight injuries were reported from the huge blast, which authorities said was felt and heard up to 12 miles away.

The high-pressure interstate pipeline, built in 1963 and operated by the Tennessee Gas Pipeline Co., ruptured about 8:45 a.m., setting three houses and two barns on fire and charring trees and fields along Taylor Road.

John Sayers and his wife were staggered when the pipeline blew about 500 feet from their home. He recalled “an explosion and fire, and that’s about it.” His wife, Cathy, suffered minor leg burns. “Our house is destroyed. It’s completely gone.”

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The Columbus Dispatch –  R. Ludlow – Update