A natural gas pipeline owned by Canadian energy firm TransCanada exploded and caught fire in Manitoba on Saturday, although there were no injuries reported.
The explosion occurred in a rural area of the western Canadian province of Otterburne, around 25km south of Winnipeg. Massive 200m to 300m flames shot out of the ground, according to eyewitnesses.
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The National Energy Board, which oversees parts of the energy industry in Canada, said that the area was evacuated and the line was shut down and depressurised.
The energy board said that it will work with the federal Transportation Safety Board in order to assess the cause of the explosion.
Gillian McEachern of the activist group Environmental Defence said that the explosion adds to concerns about the safety record of the company.
TransCanada and Manitoba Hydro are working to restore natural gas services to nine communities in the central Canadian province.
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By GlobalDataThey are also sending trucks with compressed natural gas to metering stations in the area in order to provide critical service to nursing homes, hospitals, schools and churches.
Manitoba Hydro said that gas may not be available to around 4,000 residents and other customers for at least one day.
TransCanada has been trying to secure approval for the Keystone XL pipeline to transport Canadian tar sands to refineries located on the US Gulf Coast.
Image: TransCanada head office in Calgary. Photo: courtesy of Qyd.
