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In what appears to be a case of criminal mischief, a punctured pipeline exploded before dawn Sunday, causing the evacuation of 250 people but no injuries or significant damage to nearby homes.

Residents near the pipeline said they were awakened around 4:45 a.m. by two explosions — a small one, then a large one — that sounded like thunder or a train or tornado. The sky turned bright orange, they said.

Officials were attempting Sunday to identify suspects in a felony investigation into the explosion. One or more individuals took a subcontractor's heavy equipment early Sunday morning and apparently began digging with it and punctured the pipeline, said Montgomery County Fire Marshal Jimmy Williams. "We are treating this as a criminal act, one where it doesn't matter if the result was intentional," Williams said. "It's unconscionable this was done near homes. This easily could have resulted in a fatality."

Williams said whoever was involved in the incident had to know how to operate the equipment — a trackhoe (a four-wheel excavator) and a boom truck (the type with an arm that extends to reach power lines).


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