Worker’s face burned after gas line cut, sparking ‘blowtorch’

A construction worker suffered burns to his face after he cut a natural gas line, sending a fiery “blowtorch” into the air and triggering the evacuation of the downtown Victoria library branch and an office building.

A construction crew was doing renovations on the roof of the building at 940 Blanshard St. just before 11 a.m. when a pressurized natural gas line was cut, said Battalion Chief Wayne Moody of the Victoria Fire Department.

“There was a gas explosion followed by an eight-foot blowtorch,” Moody said.

The man was treated by B.C. Ambulance paramedics for first-degree burns to his face and smoke inhalation. No one else was injured.

The workers turned off the gas line and Victoria firefighters went to the roof, putting out a small fire in the ceiling joists, Moody said.

Hundreds of office workers and people in the Central Branch of the Greater Victoria Public Library left the building.

Due to the cold, some displaced workers were loaded onto a B.C. Transit bus and others were sent to Christ Church Cathedral. Crews from Fortis B.C. repaired the natural gas line.

The fire caused an estimated $50,000 to $100,000 in damage, Moody said.