On the coldest day of this winter, an equipment malfunction at the utility's Ray Natural Gas Compressor Station on Omo Road near of 32 Mile in Armada Township apparently resulted in the fire that burned for about five hours, according to fire and utility officials. ...
Wednesday's fire at the compressor station -- one of three stations at the Armada Township site -- was reported about 10:30 a.m. after personnel at the facility first saw flames, utility officials said.
Residents reported hearing an explosion, followed by flames that burned into the air and were visible for miles.
Consumers Energy officials said automatic equipment known as a fire gate shut off the flow of gas to the fire, which limited damage to the site and vent out the gas.
The utility's onsite incident management team determined the fire was contained and allowed a controlled burn to exhaust natural gas product remaining in the pipes.
Armada Township Fire Chief Dan Reynolds said a team of firefighters arrived at the scene and consulted with utility officials, but were advised to let the fire burn itself off.
"The fire looks dramatic but there is no risk to the general public," the chief said.
"I just saw some video on (WXYZ-TV) Channel 7 and it looks like Armada is burning down. But the reality is, this is out in a field and is contained at this point."
The fire eventually burned out by 3:30 p.m. ...
The Armada Township facility accounts for about 64 percent of the utility's supply, officials added.
