ExxonMobil will knock down two homes this week in Mayflower, Arkansas because of crude oil beneath their foundations after a spill earlier this year, the company said.
The company’s Pegasus pipeline ruptured in March, spilling thousands of barrels of oil into the subdivision (pictured above) and causing the evacuation of more than 20 homes, the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette said.
The newspaper said the former owners of the two homes sold them to ExxonMobil Pipeline Co.
The company is also in talks to buy a third home with oil beneath its foundation, according to Exxon spokesman Aaron Stryk. No decision has been made about whether to tear it down, he said.
About 200,000 gallons of crude oil flowed into the neighborhood.
ExxonMobil is paying living expenses for 12 families from Mayflower.
It’s also compensating home owners for the loss in value of their property caused by the spill.
