ZANESVILLE -- The first known rupture in the Rockies Express Pipeline was reported Saturday a half-mile away from a compressor station on Irish Ridge Road in Muskingum County.
A REX pipeline official reported the 10 to 15-foot hole in the pipeline to authorities at 10:40 a.m., according to records at the Muskingum County Sheriff's Office.
Four local fire departments, Muskingum County sheriff's deputies and the American Red Cross were dispatched to the scene.
Allen Fore, a spokesperson for the REX project, said it is the first of its kind in the pipeline and repairs are under way.
REX officials are trying to determine what caused the rupture after the $6.6 billion, 1,679-mile pipeline that measures 42 inches in diameter went into operation locally on Nov. 12.
Officials reportedly evacuated an area 1/2-mile wide around the location of the leak after the rupture sent workers scurrying to safety.
The rupture allowed gas to rapidly escape from the REX pipeline.
No explosion occurred.
The REX pipeline stretches from Colorado to Wyoming to Monroe County in eastern Ohio.
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