ATF Investigating Wednesday Night Gas Line Explosion In Brookwood

BROOKWOOD, AL — A host of emergency and law enforcement agencies responded just before midnight to a call of a gas line explosion at Black Warrior Methane in Brookwood, as federal authorities investigate the possibility of criminal activity.

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Tuscaloosa County Sheriff's Office Public Information Officer Jessica McDaniel told Patch that 911 dispatchers received the initial call of a gas line explosion around 11:40 p.m. Wednesday evening in the area of Hannah Creek Road and Sandlin Mountain Road.

In a statement to local media on Thursday, the U.S. Justice Department said investigators located a ruptured methane pipeline along with other debris, which points to the possibility of the explosion being the result of an intentional act.

TCSO investigators were joined at the scene by the sheriff's office's Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) Team, the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency's bomb squad and several agents from the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF).

While no injuries have been reported, the exact circumstances of the explosion have yet to be made public as the investigation is in its early phases.

McDaniel said the investigation is now being handled by the ATF.

A subsidiary of Warrior Met Coal, Black Warrior Methane operates numerous gas and oil wells in the Brookwood area. Hannah Creek Road was closed to traffic for part of the day on Thursday, but has since been reopened.

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