A massive fire erupted at a natural gas pumping station, shooting flames hundreds of feet (meters) in the air and rattling windows for miles. Highway Patrol authorities said there were fatalities, but it wasn't immediately clear if they were from the fire or from a strong storm that moved through the area, the Associated Press reported. The fire erupted at about 10 p.m. Tuesday at the Columbia Gulf Natural Gas pumping station near the Macon County community of Green Grove, about 40 miles (65 kilometers) northeast of Nashville. «We do not know at this time what caused it, and we are attempting to get close enough to get some information,» said Tennessee Emergency Management spokesman Donnie Smith. «These flames are shooting 400, 500 feet in the air.» (Equivalent to 120-150 meters.) Tennessee Highway Patrol spokesman Mike Browning said the station could have been damaged by a line of severe storms that moved through Tennessee shortly before the fire broke out.
