The evacuation zone in Milford has been reduced Saturday afternoon, allowing most residents to return to their homes.
On Saturday, The West Texas LPG pipeline Unified Incident Command said the evacuation zone was reduced from a 1.5 mile radius to a 0.5 mile radius.
Officials said there is still a small, residual fire at the site of the 10-inch ruptured line.
Flaring of an adjacent 14-inch pipeline began Saturday morning in order to elimate product from the pipeline. Officials said residents may see some of the flaring, but that they shouldn't be a cause for alarm.
Officials also said that air quality tests in the area indicate everything is within normal ranges.
According to Chevron, "The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality has issued a public statement stating that it has been monitoring air quality since the incident occurred and has detected 'no volatile organic compounds (VOCs) or particulate matter at levels of concern.'"
Some residents were allowed to return to their homes Friday, only under police supervision and only to retrieve medicine or to check on pets. Residents were warned on Friday that they may not be able to return to their homes until after the weekend.
During the evacuation, about three dozen of Milford's approximate 700 evacuated residents took shelter at Italy High School. The remainder, it's assumed, stayed with friends, family or made other arrangements.
