At approximately 2:53pm on Monday, October 31st, my Sister and I were sitting outside when we noticed a large plunge of smoke over the house. As I walked across the patio for a view not impeded by the house, I saw flea leaping high above the tree line. Our home is situated approximately a mile and a half from the site of what we now know to be the Colonial Pipeline explosion. I began to take videos on disbelief of what I was witnessing.
Our property also offers the highest vantage point in this Valley, so I also went to the top of the hill to give an idea of the vast area that was butning. These are several short clips, as we were also on alert that we were facing a possible mandatory evacuation, and we're trying to mentally and physically prepare for that reality.
I have been asked if we heard the explosion, and surprisingly, we did not. We did, however, experience thick blankets of smoke, and ashes raining in the air here at home, which feed or concerns of its spreading.