"A geyser of gasoline spewed into the sky from a state-owned pipeline in western Mexico, forcing officials to evacuate about 5,000 people Wednesday. Authorities blamed the accident on fuel thieves tapping into the pipe."

"Gasoline plumed above a field close to a housing development in Tlajomulco, a town near Guadalajara, which is Mexico's second-largest city and the capital of Jalisco state.

The fuel did not catch fire, and crews were able to shut down the flow of gasoline in the pipeline, which was leaking about 150 yards (meters) from some homes. There were no reports of injuries.

'There's a lot of odor of gasoline in the entire area,' Jalisco state Interior Secretary Arturo Zamora said, adding that the evacuation area was 'approximately in a radius of 1 kilometer (half mile).'"

Mark Stevenson reports for the Associated Press October 30, 2013. [2]