As if the chain of severe storms and tornadoes weren’t enough for Tennessee, an enormous fire erupted at a natural gas pumping station somewhere in the rural area of the state, authorities said.

The cause of the huge blaze still eludes authorities. The only thing known for sure is that the fire erupted la Tuesday at the Columbia Gulf Natural Gas pumping station near Green Grove, about 40 miles northeast of Nashville.

Investigators said the fire might be related to the series of powerful storm that swept the South on Tuesday, killing at least 18 people.

"We do not know at this time what caused it, and we are attempting to get close enough to get some information. These flames are shooting 400, 500 feet in the air," said Tennessee Emergency Management spokesman Donnie Smith.

The fire started most likely at about 10 p.m. and spread to nearby houses, said the mayor of Westmoreland, a city near the site.

There were some casualties reported in Macon County and some people are still missing, but it is uncertain whether their absence has anything to do with the huge flames, Ricky Woodard said.

Tennessee Highway Patrol spokesman Mike Browning also suggested that the series of powerful storms that swept through the state before the fire broke out might be the cause.

The fire was confirmed by the spokesman for Columbia Gulf Transmission Co. Kelly Merritt said that there is a fire at the company's Hartsville compressor station, but didn’t give further details about the accident.

She added that Columbia Gulf Transmission Co. will shut off the gas on both sides of the station immediately. The Hartsville compressor station is used to increase pressure along the gas line that runs from Louisiana to the West Virginia-Kentucky border.