By David Kenney | February 25, 2020 at 7:02 PM CST – Updated February 25 at 7:02 PM
YAZOO CO., Miss. (WLBT) – Tonight, we’re learning more about some heroics during a massive gas leak in Yazoo County this weekend.
Around 300 residents evacuated after carbon dioxide and hydrogen sulfide leaked into the air following an explosion.
Warren County firefighters were called in and helped evacuate dozens of people in Satartia.
They then began their search for more victims closer to the blast site.
They soon came upon a car with three men inside. All had been knocked out by the gas and were unconscious.
Warren County Fire Coordinator Jerry Briggs said, “Bust the windows of the car to gain access to them. [We] did that and loaded all three of them into the bed along with all the equipment we had and Fire Chief Fredricks drove and Shane and I hung on the side, so it was six of us all of our equipment coming out.”
The firefighters were able to get the men to safety. They were hospitalized and all released.
The first responders believe it was their training that aided them in this high pressure situation.
“We went through the fire academy a couple weeks ago and dealt with our own survival techniques that played a big part in Saturday night,” said Shane Gerrard. “We were able to resort back to training to stay calm in the chaos.”
The pipeline is owned by Denbury Onshore. The cause of the gas leak is still under investigation.
The law firm Morgan & Morgan will represent some of the gas leak victims in court.
Attorneys John Morgan and Rocky Wilkins released a statement, saying in part: “All the families forced out of their homes in the middle of the night deserve to know if this incident could have been prevented.”
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