Investigation is ongoing regarding a natural gas release and fire on El Paso Corp.’s Tennessee Gas Pipeline in Panola County, Miss., near Batesville, the evening of Nov. 21. The company first became aware of the release after observing a pressure drop on the system at about 8:30 p.m. Both the causes and exact time of failure are part of the investigation, El Paso said.
The pipeline operator said its central gas control and all appropriate responders were notified of the incident immediately after its detection and that the fire was fully extinguished by 2:00 a.m. on Nov. 22.
El Paso said 20 homes were evacuated following the explosion, with most residents returning home that night. Two roads closed in the immediate aftermath of the incident were also reopened by the next morning.
The company did not have a timeline regarding when its investigation, occurring in cooperation with all appropriate authorities, would be concluded.
Contact Christopher E. Smith at [email protected].
About the Author
Christopher E. Smith
Editor in Chief
Chris joined Oil & Gas Journal in 2005 as Pipeline Editor, having already worked for more than a decade in a variety of oil and gas industry analysis and reporting roles. He became editor-in-chief in 2019 and head of content in 2025.