An explosion of an Enbridge Inc. natural gas pipeline in Ohio on Jan. 21 created a fireball of flame and damaged homes, prompting the evacuation of nearby residents.

The explosion occurred on Enbridge’s Texas Eastern pipeline system and appeared to have destroyed two homes, said Chasity Schmelzenbach, emergency management director for Noble County, Ohio.

“We got reports flames were shooting (up) 80 ft to 200 ft (25 m to 60 m),” Schmelzenbach said. “You could see it upwards of 10 to15 miles (16 km to 24 km) away. Lots of people thought it was in their backyard because it does appear large.”

Enbridge later said that two people were injured and two structures damaged in the incident, which occurred at 10:40 a.m. EST (1540 GMT). It said the fire had been contained, but that residents near the incident had been evacuated.

The Calgary-based company said it had “immediately started to shut in and isolate that section of pipeline” and was cooperating with authorities in its response.

The U.S. Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration has been notified about the explosion and has dispatched an investigator to the scene, an agency spokesman said.

It was not immediately clear if the shut-in would impact customers in some of the most densely populated areas in the U.S. during a particularly severe cold snap.

A spokesman for Pennsylvania’s major power supplier, PECO, said late on Jan. 21 it was not experiencing any disruptions related to the explosion.

Onshore