Jun. 19--Vandals did several hundred thousand dollars of damage to a section of a natural gas pipeline near Sumas this weekend, but the public is not in danger, according to Deputy Mark Lann of the Whatcom County Sheriff's Office.

Sometime late Friday evening or early Saturday morning, someone drove onto a cornfield near the intersection of Reese Hill Road and Hillview Road, southeast of Sumas. Williams, the company that manages the pipeline, has been installing a new line near the cornfield.

When the car got stuck in a ditch, someone used a large Caterpillar backhoe left at the site to get it out.

Then, they began to dig and hit the pipeline, causing some damage.

Workers discovered the damage the next morning.

Williams' engineers reduced pipeline pressure to 80 percent.

"There is no evidence that it leaked or may be leaking," Lann said.

The 30-inch pipeline is the main supplier of natural gas to Western Washington, Oregon and Idaho.

The Whatcom County Sheriff's Office is investigating the matter. Anyone with information should call 676-6650 during business hours, or 911 after business hours.

Reach Michelle Theriault at 756-2803 or michelle.theriault @bellinghamherald.com.