Residents in northeast Jackson Parish and the surrounding area were jolted by a loud boom on Thursday evening when a natural gas pipeline ruptured and exploded just south of Choudrant, LA, prompting First Responders to issue precautionary evacuation orders for more than 70 nearby residents. 

According to a report issued by the Jackson Parish Sheriff’s Office, a call was received at 9:38 p.m. on Thursday, May 14th. Upon arriving at the scene on Mosswood Road near LA Hwy. 145 and LA Hwy. 146, it was noticed that a large and deep patch of earth looked like it had been gouged out, a result of the explosion.

“The rupture occurred in a Gulf South pipeline,” said Jackson Parish Sheriff Brent Barnett. “I believe it was a 24-inch line, with somewhere around 800 pounds of pressure.”

Boardwalk Pipelines officials issued a statement that Gulf South Pipeline Company personnel detected a release from their natural gas pipeline in Northern Louisiana around 9:30 p.m. The pipeline was immediately shut down.

Officials say Investigators are working to determine how and why the gas line exploded, and the pipeline will remain shut down until repairs are complete and safety and regulatory requirements are met.