Emergency crews evacuated five homes near Otterburne after a natural gas pipeline exploded, sending a massive fireball hurtling into the air early Saturday morning.
Now, homes in several surrounding communities could be without gas services for up to several days while repairs are made.
The Trans-Canada natural gas pipeline in the RM of De Salaberry, about 50 kilometres south of Winnipeg, exploded around 1:05 a.m.
TransCanada says it has shut down the Emerson Lateral portion of the Canadian Mainline natural gas pipeline system due to the explosion.
The line provides natural gas to several communities in the area. Manitoba Hydro said in a press release approximately 4,000 homes in the RMs of Hanover, Richot, and De Salaberry will be affected by the natural gas shutoff. It says it doesn't have an estimate on how long the interruptions will last.
Specific affcted communities include New Bothwell, Niverville, Otterburne, Kleefeld, St-Pierre-Jolys, Grunthal, St. Malo, Dufrost, Ste. Agathe, and Marchand.
There are no reports of any injuries and no damage to private property.
Trans-Canada spokesperson Davis Sheremata the fire was extinguished as of 2:00 p.m.
Witness 'felt the wave'
Marc LaBossier lives about three kilometres away from the site of the explosion. He was sitting in his house Skyping with his girlfriend when he heard a loud boom, he said.
“I looked in the kitchen and there was a glow, so not knowing what was happening, I thought something was on fire in the kitchen,” he said. “I jumped out of the chair. When I got to the back sliding doors, I actually felt the wave, or whatever, from this thing, and I could see it raging in the background.”
Initially, the flames reached 500 to 600 feet into the air, LaBossier said. Police soon came and told LaBossier he needed to leave.
He loaded his dogs into his car and waited on the highway, along with several other cars. He was allowed to return to his house shortly after 3:00 a.m.
The explosion briefly knocked out power to LaBossier’s house. The lights came back on by about 3:50 a.m., he said.
Towns without natural gas service
Niverville Mayor John Funk said gas service to the town was shut off Saturday afternoon. Residents are advised to use electric heaters, but to minimize their use as much as possible to avoid putting too much strain on the electric grid.
The temperature in Niverville on Saturday afternoon was -18 C and Environment Canada was calling for even colder temperatures on Sunday and Monday.
Funk said he is receiving calls from residents who don't own electric heaters. He said the stores in town are all sold out.
"I think people will go to stores in the surrounding area in the next couple of hours." he said.
St. Pierre-Jolys RCMP, along with the Office of the Fire Commissioner and Trans-Canada Pipeline, are looking into the cause of the explosion. It’s not known if the cause is accidental or deliberate.
- With files from The Canadian Press
