SISSONVILLE, W.Va. (AP) — Nearly 15,000 miles of natural gas pipeline stretch across West Virginia, and as residents of this community north of Charleston now know, devastating explosions can happen without warning.

Federal regulators say there have been 20 "significant" pipeline incidents involving deaths, injuries or major property damage in West Virginia in the last decade. The latest came Tuesday when a 20-inch Columbia Gas transmission line exploded, destroying four homes and cooking a section of Interstate 77, a major north-south commuting corridor that passes through the capital city.

By Wednesday, hard-working road crews had the highway repaved. The northbound lanes reopened early in the morning, and traffic began flowing on the southbound lanes a few hours later.