LIVELY, Texas, Aug. 25 -- A deadly fire from a leaking gas pipeline continued to burn Sunday nearly a day after the fierce blaze erupted and scorched a rural area, killing two teens. Investigators said the line had been shut down along both sides of the pipeline after the explosion Saturday afternoon, but the butane in the line would take some time to burn off. A dispatcher at the Kaufman County Sheriff's office said Sunday afternoon all available personnel remained at the site in Lively, Texas, 50 miles southeast of Dallas. The fire erupted 20 minutes after residents in the rural community began calling 911 to complain of the strong gas smell, said Fire Marshal Don Lindsey. The inferno claimed the lives of two teenagers who were rushing to try to summon help and warn others away. Fire officials say heat from the victims' truck engine apparently triggered the blast when the vehicle drove into a low-lying area where the leaking gas had collected. The 150-foot fireball could be seen 40 miles away, and a thick strand of black smoke still rose into the sky a day later. Residents said underground explosions continued for half an hour after the first blast. The bodies of 18-year-old Danielle Smalley and 17-year-old Jason Stone were found 50 and 60 feet away from the charred truck on opposite sides of the vehicle. They apparently were trying to flee through the flames, a firefighter said. Friends of the pair said Stone was in the area visiting his mother, and Smalley was enjoying a last day home before heading off to begin her freshman year at college.
The 8-inch pipeline -- owned by Wichita, Kansas-based Koch Pipeline Company Limited Partnership -- runs from Medford, Okla., to Mont Belvieu, near Houston. It has a variety of natural gases, including propane and ethane. Residents said they had complained of gas leaks in the past, but said the owners had not acted on their concerns. 'Koch is going to pay for this,' Melanie Mayfield, 33, told The Dallas Morning News. 'We smelled gas before. And when we called them they would act nonchalant.'
