NTSB analyzing fractured gas pipeline in Coolidge explosion

COOLIDGE, Ariz. (AP) — The National Transportation Safety Board on Wednesday released its preliminary report on last month’s gas line explosion in Coolidge that destroyed a home and killed a man and his 14-year-old daughter. NTSB officials say a natural gas pipeline ruptured around 5:30 a.m. on Aug. 15 about 120 yards away from a family’s rural farmhouse on the outskirts of Coolidge, a small Pinal County city located south of Phoenix. Authorities say the explosion was heard for miles and the resulting fire burned for more than 2 ½ hours. A 46-foot section of the pipeline was ejected during the explosion, according to investigators. But right before the explosion, the NTSB said the gas pressure of the pipeline was below the maximum allowed operating pressure.