A leaking pipeline at a gas well in Denton prompted evactuations and restricted the airspace over the municipal airport for several hours Friday.
The leak was in an industrial area with a few homes, four of which were evacuated. Additionally, Jim Christal Road was shut down eastbound at Masch Branch Road and westbound at Western Boulevard, according to a tweet by the Denton Police Department.
A Denton Public Information officer said a gas pipe had separated from the well and that fracking water and natural gas was rising into the air directly around the well site.
The incident was first reported at about 11:30 a.m. A gas capping company was called to the scene to close the leak, which was expected to take about two hours. At 3:45 p.m., police tweeted that the situation was over and that all roads that had been closed were reopened.
Neighbors nearby to the well told NBC 5's Brian Scott that they saw the water vapor rising last night, but because they did not smell gas, they did not contact authorities. However, natural gas has no natural odor; the smell is added by gas companies to help identify it in the case of leaks.
Authorities on scene said they were not concerned about explosions due to the gas leak.
NBC 5's Brian Scott contributed to this story. As this is a developing story, some details may change as we gather more information.
