A ruptured gas line caused a massive fire that left an 18-foot-deep crater in an area of Orion Township near the Great Lakes Crossing Outlets mall on Monday night, authorities say.
A fire was reported shortly after 9:52 p.m., when Consumers Energy noticed a drop in pressure on its gas system, the energy company said in a news release.
The fire was north of Brown Road near Joslyn Road, near the border with Auburn Hills. Orion Township Fire Chief John Pender said the fire was on vacant land, the Associated Press reports.
Consumers Energy said that the cause of the fire remains unknown and under investigation. What officials do know is that a 22-inch diameter steel transmission line ruptured, and that the fire burned itself out after the flow of gas was cut off on either end of a seven-mile section of the transmission line.