Per Sheriff Joel Houston, Highway 35 south of Mize was closed down about noon on Saturday, January 11. Sheriff Houston reported the leak was about one mile south of the baseball park on Highway 35 south of Mize, and he advised the Reformer that EMA Director Heather Easterling was in the process of evacuating residents in the immediate area of the leak.
Sheriff Houston and Under Sheriff Robert Garner along with MDOT were blocking 18 wheeler southbound traffic at the 4-way stop in downtown Mize and rerouting them. The Mize Fire Department was blocking all southbound traffic at the Mize Baseball Fields.
Sheriff Houston advised the Reformer Saturday morning that gas company officials were en-route to address the problem and he hoped to have it corrected in a couple of hours. The problem was corrected and the highway was reopened later Saturday afternoon.
In a follow up call to the EMA Office by the Reformer Monday, the Reformer was advised the gas leak was caused by the storm uprooting a tree and the tree roots breaking the gas line as the tree fell.