OVERTON COUNTY GAS PIPELINE RUPTURE REPORTED CONTAINED WITH ONLY MINOR INJURIES
Initial fears of a major explosion following a natural gas pipeline rupture in Overton County on Wednesday morning proved unfounded, according to local officials.
At 10:28 a.m., Overton County Emergency Services received notification of the rupture in the Muddy Pond area. Early reports suggested an explosion had occurred and that multiple workers had been injured. However, first responders arriving at the scene confirmed there was no fire or explosion, and only a few minor injuries required evaluation.
The Overton County Emergency Management Agency (EMA) initially issued an emergency alert and ordered evacuations within a 1.5-mile radius of the site, but those orders were later safely canceled once the situation was secured.
Overton County Executive Austin Dodson confirmed that the incident is now under control and emergency personnel have cleared the scene.
“Our emergency services did a fantastic job responding quickly to the scene and assessing the impacts. I am really proud of our emergency services leaders and our community for the quick and professional response. Everyone is safe now and we are thankful this wasn’t worse,” Dodson said.
Dodson also expressed gratitude to regional partners across the Upper Cumberland for their rapid deployment of specialty resources and mutual aid.
Local agencies involved in the coordinated response included the Livingston and Cookeville Fire Departments, Putnam County EMA, Crossville Fire Department, Clay County EMA, Fentress and Putnam County EMS, the Tennessee Highway Patrol, and the Tennessee Emergency Management Authority.
