Canada: Pipeline Explosion Near Prince George Forces About 100 Evacuations from First Nation Community

by Jesse Ferreras / Global News

As many as 100 people have been evacuated from the reserve of the Lheidli T’enneh First Nation north of Prince George after a pipeline explosion generated a massive fire that could be seen from the campus of the University of Northern B.C. (UNBC) on Tuesday.

Enbridge confirmed that a rupture happened on a line it owns and operates at about 5:45 p.m., about 13.5 kilometres north of Prince George, said a company statement.

Emergency crews with the company responded, isolated and were working to depressurize two natural gas transmissions lines in the area so that the incident could be contained, the statement added.

The Prince George RCMP confirmed that an explosion happened, forcing evacuations in the immediate vicinity of the fire.

In a news release, police said they responded to a call about an explosion close to Landooz Road at about 5:30 p.m.

Homes within several kilometres were evacuated, but the evacuation zone was later reduced to one kilometre.

RCMP were on scene throughout the night and most of the impacted residents have since been allowed to return home.

RCMP said the explosion “appeared to have” involved an Enbridge natural gas pipeline, and that there were no injuries nor any reported damage except to the pipeline itself.

The gas supply was shut down and there’s not yet any indication of what caused the blast.

The explosion has prompted a warning from FortisBC, saying it is anticipating a dip in energy flow and potential loss of service.

The pipeline feeds the utility’s natural gas system, which has Fortis urging customers to turn off their thermostats and reduce use of their natural gas appliances.

A similar warning has been issued in Washington state.

FortisBC estimates about 70 per cent of its one million customers have the potential to lose gas supply due to the incident.

Bryan Seymour took this video from the reserve of the Lheidli T’enneh First Nation, which is located nearby.

Seymour heard a “big explosion” around 6 p.m. that left his house shaking.

He initially thought it was an excavator, as development has been happening close to his home — but the noise “carried on longer than it should have.”

He said there are two reserves that straddle the Fraser River near Prince George, and the explosion happened on the north side, between the reserve and the Salmon Valley.

Seymour went on to say a pipeline runs under the First Nation’s evacuation route, leaving residents “kind of shaken” that they had to drive over it.

He noted, however, that there was a shutoff valve on the side of the road.

Social media lit up with photos and video of the fire, which appeared to be burning at a distance from the city, though it was still visible there.