Ruptured gas line sparks massive fire north of Prince George
PRINCE GEORGE — A natural gas line operated by Enbridge ruptured Tuesday, sparking a massive fire northeast of Prince George.
As of about 7:30 p.m. — about two hours after the rupture was reported — the gas supply had been shut down.
Prince George RCMP said there were no injuries and no reports of damage other than to the pipeline itself.
The cause of the rupture is under investigation, police said.
British Columbia’s Ministry of Environment said it has been notified that the incident involved a 900 psi gas line operated by Enbridge.
Enbridge spokesman Michael Barnes said the company was working to assess the situation.
Homes in the immediate area, which is largely rural, were evacuated.
Between 70 and 80 people living on the north side of the Lheidli T’enneh reserve had to leave the area.
“I thought it might have been a jet engine or a low-flying jet,” Terry Teegee said of the noise. “And the next thing that came to mind is that maybe it’s a train, but that’s way too loud.
“But then, as soon as I looked outside, I saw a massive fireball about a half a kilometre to a kilometre away behind the community.”
He said the subsequent evacuation to the band’s community hall on the south side of the river was a “little bit frantic as you can imagine,” but everyone arrived safely.
Rodney Godwin and his family live on Estate Road, near the end of Landooz Road and just across the Fraser River from the Shelley townsite.
They heard what sounded like thunder just after 5:30 p.m. When Godwin looked across the way, he saw flames shooting into the sky.
The family left their home shortly after that.
The evacuation zone initially extended for several kilometres but was reduced to one kilometre, allowing some people to return home.