Pipeline Explosion Photos and Map

Trucks burned in explosion
Twelve members of an extended family were killed when the El Paso Natural Gas Company pipeline exploded August 19, 2000. They were gathered for a camping and fishing trip along the banks of the Pecos River in Eddy County, New Mexico.

Pipeline explosion aerial
The explosion of the El Paso Natural Gas Company pipeline created a fireball visible 30 miles away and left a crater 86 feet long, 46 feet wide and 20 feet deep.

Pecos River at explosion site
Six family members were burned and died within minutes. The six others—some of them on fire—ran and jumped into the nearby Pecos River for relief. Firefighters and rescue workers had to cut through brush to pull them from the mud and water; they then attempted to treat their injuries until ambulances arrived.

Pipeline damage after explosion
Officials inspect a piece of damaged pipeline after the explosion. The pipeline takes natural gas from the Permian Basin near Odessa, Texas, and transports it to markets in California. It was a 30-inch pipeline and had the capacity to transport more than one billion cubic feet of natural gas per day.

Explosion site broad aerial
Buried underground for most of its course, the pipeline crossed the Pecos River above ground, suspended for the river-crossing by a bridge erected and owned by El Paso Natural Gas Company. The pipeline then re-submerged underground as it continued its westerly course to California. The family's campsite was along the banks of the Pecos River where the pipeline crossed overhead.