Missouri Highway 15 remains closed after a pipeline ruptured around 3:30 a.m. Sunday, according to the Missouri Department of Transportation. First responders ensured nearby homes were empty.
Audrain County Sheriff Matt Ollie said Panhandle Eastern Pipe Line Company was contacted and shut off the valves to the pipeline.
“It was about 40 minutes from the time we were notified that it took for it to be substantially out,” Ollie said.
Ollie said no one was injured as a result of the pipeline rupture.
Steve Gentry is the fire chief for Little Dixie Fire Protection District, which serves Mexico, Missouri. Gentry said a pipeline rupture is rare.
“This is only my second pipeline rupture in the last 40 years,” Gentry said.
Panhandle Eastern Pipe Line Company is based out of Dallas. Its pipelines cover eight states from Michigan to Texas, according to MoDOT.
A detour to highway 15 is currently in place for Panhandle Eastern crews to get to the site to work on fixing the pipeline, said spokesperson Amanda Gorgueiro of Energy Transfer Partners in an email.
“As a result of yesterday’s incident in Audrain County, Missouri, the detour on Highway 15 remains in place so that we may secure the area and safely get out crews in and out of the site,” Gorgueiro said. “This will allow us to facilitate the incident investigation and the repairs to the line. Investigation of this type are very detailed so there is no additional information at this time.”
Highway 15 is expected to reopen Tuesday evening, according to MoDOT.