An explosion along the Colonial pipeline in Shelby County, Ala., killed one worker, injured five others and shut down a major gasoline and diesel artery that moves fuel from Texas to New York.

The blaze was sparked around 2 p.m.local time when a crew of contract workers using a trackhoe was performing maintenance on the system, according to Colonial Pipeline Co., which operates the network. The machinery breached the pipe and ignited gasoline inside the line, causing a fire that continued to burn late Monday night.

The...