Compressor stations in the eastern United States have been plagued by an outbreak of fires and public protests over the past two months.
On May 14, the Williams Partners LP gas compressor station in Brooklyn Township, Pennsylvania, sustained moderate damage due to a fire that stemmed from a 4000 hp (2983 kW) compressor. It was the second fire at a Williams’ compressor station in a 14-month span. The first was an explosion at the Lathrop compressor station in Springville Township, Pennsylvania, that blew a hole in the roof of the building in March 2012.
On May 30, an explosion at a natural gas facility in Branchburg, New Jersey, injured 13 construction workers, with two suffering severe injuries. The workers were welding part of a nonactive pipe when the explosion took place.