A view from above: Appomattox pipeline explosion
Chet White/The News & Advance
Several acres on both sides of Virginia 26 just north of the town of Appomattox remain scorched and blackened on Tuesday from the natural gas pipeline rupture and explosion on Sept. 14 that decimated two houses, damaged several others and injured five people.
Published: September 23, 2008
Updated: September 24, 2008
The aerial view at the top shows key areas from the blast:
1: This is the location of the ruptured gas line. Natural gas jetted from the line and exploded within minutes.
2: The home of Linda Jamerson, nearest to the blast site, lies in brick ruins.
3: The home of Calvin Childress, which was engulfed in the fireball, also was decimated.
4: A portion of the failed line was flung over Virginia 26 in the explosion. Investigators think the now-mangled piece of metal pipe will be key in
determining what caused the pipeline to fail.
5: Virginia 26, also know as Oakville Road, was damaged in the explosion. The road was closed for just shy of a week while state Department of Transportation crews checked it for stability and repaved the portion of the pavement destroyed by the fireball.
6: Kelly Creek Lane is a private road that runs off of Oakville Road and was the location of several of the homes that received the worst damage in the explosion.
The slideshow above shows other angles shot from the sky.
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