NEAR HINTON, Iowa (KTIV) -
There's good news 24 hours after a natural gas pipeline explosion and fire. Thirty-three year old Chris DeRocher, one of the two men hurt by the blast, is out of the hospital.
The Plymouth County Sheriff's Office says DeRocher, and 28 year old Jacob Brown, were digging with trenching equipment in a farm field between Hinton and Kingsley when they hit a 24 inch natural gas line.
The fire that followed raged on for more than an hour, until utility crews closed off valves and the flames burned themselves out.
The company, who owns the ruptured line, has started an investigation to find out what happened for themselves.
Thursday, Northern Natural Gas crews were excavating the site of the massive fireball, that shook up nearby residents a day earlier.
"I thought the tractor blew up," said Leonard Hansen, a neighbor. "And then I saw a cloud of smoke about a mile away."
But why that gas erupted into flames, remains a mystery.
"We know that just simply puncturing a natural gas pipeline does not necessarily result in a fire," said Northern Spokesman Mike Loeffler.
Loeffler says, in most cases, a line break results in nothing more than a gas leak. He said we may not know what started the fire until after their investigation is complete.
"It could be exhaust, it could be the heat of the equipment, it could be friction, could be a spark, it could be a number of things," said Loeffler.
Another question that needs to be answered: Did the two men check for a pipeline before digging?
Northern Gas officials confirmed late Thursday, Brown and DeRocher did not.
According to Iowa One Call, it's illegal to lay drainage tiles in the state without calling 811 to have underground gas, water and electric lines marked first.
Loeffler said their investigation will take several weeks as they talk to witnesses, plus excavate and analyze parts of the ruptured line.
He also said it's important to note that utility lines aren't always below a posted sign, but somewhere nearby.
