A gas explosion in Lee County on Wednesday left two workers seriously injured and disrupted natural gas service for approximately 20,000 customers, including most of Tupelo’s restaurants.
The explosion occurred near Highway 6 and County Road 660 while workers attempted to repair a gas leak.
According to Lee County officials, the injured workers were inside a trench when the explosion happened. Both were transported to a hospital, though their current condition has not been released.
Mississippi Public Service Commissioner Chris Brown confirmed that the blast affected gas service in Tupelo, Guntown, Verona, Saltillo, Brewer, and Plantersville, forcing multiple restaurants in the area to shut down.
Atmos Energy crews worked door-to-door until midnight on Wednesday to manually shut off gas meters. The company resumed efforts Thursday morning, continuing the process of turning off meters for safety.
Atmos Energy reported that the affected area is “safe,” and no evacuations have been issued.”
The company has warned that restoring service will take time.
“You will not have natural gas service until repairs and safety checks are completed, and then a highly trained safety technician can safely begin the restoration process and relight appliances,” the company stated on its website.
For ongoing updates, visit Atmos Energy’s website.