Top Ten: Classical Gas

This was taken the Monday of Thanksgiving week.  I was reluctant to add it to the Top Ten, because it was one of those cases where you really had to be there.  The photo doesn't do it justice.  The video we aired on Newswatch 16, and the images we broadcast live came a little closer.  Still, they were a bit short of the mark.

What you see here is natural gas rocketing out of a vent at a UGI compressor station just off Main Street in Dickson City.  UGI explained the system worked as designed.  For some reason, pressure in the lines became high.  A pressure relief valve popped, and natural gas shot in to the air for a good 90 minutes.

The pictures and video were only part of the story.  The gas release sounded like a jet engine, and you could hear it for miles.

Any time you see something like this, the word "explosion" travels through your mind.  The Emergency Management Agency said we had the good fortune of the valve popping on a windy morning.  The gas dissipated, and no one was hurt.