(Reuters) – Kinder Morgan on Monday said a fire on its El Paso Natural Gas Pipeline (EPNG) near Coolidge, Arizona that killed two people and injured another had been extinguished and the pipeline segment remained shut.
“We are coordinating with the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA), Arizona Corporate Commission (ACC) and Coolidge City Fire Department on our response,” company spokesperson Katherine Hill said.
The company added that it was working with customers who might be affected by the incident while an investigation into the cause of it was underway.
The 30-inch pipeline ruptured around 5:42 a.m. MST (1142 GMT) on Sunday, damaging one residence in the resulting fire, NTSB spokesperson Peter Knudson said in an emailed statement.
Three NTSB investigators will be at the site for a week-long assessment and a preliminary report will be available within the next 30 days. Knudson added.
“The investigation, which will determine probable cause and any contributing factors, is expected to be completed in 12-24 months,” the NTSB added.
(Reporting by Brijesh Patel, Arpan Varghese and Rahul Paswan in Bengaluru; Editing by Giles Elgood and Paul Simao)
