SISSONVILLE, W.Va. (AP) — Contractors worked through the night scraping away burned asphalt and repaving an 800-foot swath of Interstate 77 charred by a massive natural gas line explosion and fire that also flattened four homes and damaged five more but caused no deaths.
The Tuesday afternoon blast between Sissonville and Pocatalico, about 15 miles outside the capital city of Charleston, melted guardrails, cooked the green enamel off highway signs and burned utility poles, while leaving a huge hole in the highway.
The northbound lanes reopened early today and traffic began flowing on the southbound lanes a few hours later.
Though several people were treated for smoke inhalation, no serious injuries were reported either on or off the major commuter route.
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