Natural gas explosion rocks South Minneapolis near Crosstown [PHOTOS AND VIDEOS]

@rstevens

​A major CenterPoint Energy natural gas pipeline exploded into a hellish fireball this morning in South Minneapolis on the street in front of a Cub Foods grocery store.

Firefighters from around Minneapolis and Richfield rushed to the scene of the 8:45 a.m. blast to find flames leaping into the sky from a swimming-pool sized crater. The fire was extinguished at about 10:30 a.m.

Luckily, no one was injured by the blast, though several cars were scorched by the heat and a Cub sign melted.

Slideshow: Fireball erupts in South Minneapolis

Kristine Chapin, spokeswoman for the Minnesota Dept. of Safety, for MN Dept. of Safety, told us the pipeline that broke was a major trunk line, 20 inches in diameter, and normally under 75 pounds of pressure.

​"My car temp felt like it increased at least 20 degrees when this pic was taken and I had the windows up...scary," says Stacey Tuthill, who was one of the last people allowed to drive past the fire as it was raging, and snapped this photo (left) to prove it.

The flames could be seen for miles. Heat from the fire could be felt from blocks away. And police closed sections of nearby I-35W and the Crosstown, Highway 62, and Windom Elementary School, at 58th and Wentworth, was evacuated. Cops also went door to door in the neighborhood, urging people to leave.

"People should just avoid 35W this morning," says Capt. Matt Langer with the State Patrol. "Avoid that whole area--it's backed up on both directions past where it's closed."

Among the first onlookers was Geek Squad founder Robert Stephens. He videotaped the fireball on his iPhone, then edited the footage on his iPad 2. In the process, he beat all of the major TV outlets to the best video of the day. Citizen journalism FTW!