Officials say a pipeline explosion in southern Manitoba last year was caused by a fracture in the structure.
The Transportation Safety Board said the fracture occurred at a pre-existing crack in the pipeline. The TSB attributes the crack to inadequate welding procedures and policies from when the pipeline was built 50 years ago.
The board said the fracture itself happened because of stresses on the pipeline including weakened soil support and the extremely low temperatures that winter.
The gas from the TransCanada pipeline rupture burned for 12 hours and five homes in the Otterburne area were evacuated.
TransCanada says its current welding and testing processes are designed to locate small cracks like the one that led to this incident.
"After the incident we thoroughly inspected the pipeline and related infrastructure, including a physical inspection of all similar welds, to ensure it could be returned to service safely. We share the TSB’s emphasis on pipeline safety, and continue to incorporate safety measures into our system and enhance our maintenance and inspection programs in our natural gas network. I want to note that the TSB investigation did not identify any additional actions or recommendations for TransCanada," said the company in a statement.
- with files from The Canadian Press
