Achi news desk-
A pipeline caught fire west of Edmonton late Tuesday morning, sending a large plume of flames and smoke visible from several kilometers away and sparking a small wildfire.
It happened around 11 a.m. in Yellowhead County, northwest of Edson and northeast of Hinton along Emerson Creek Road. The fire was visible from some distance, including along Highway 16.
There are a number of gas plants and gas wells in that region and the pipeline in question is operated by TC Energy.
The energy company said it was responding to the incident involving the NGTL natural gas system about 40 kilometers northwest of Edson in Yellowhead County.
The NGTL is TC Energy’s natural gas gathering and transportation system for the Western Canada Sedimentary Basin (WCSB).
“TC Energy received notification of this incident at approximately 11 a.m. MT and immediately implemented our emergency response procedures,” the statement said, adding that the company was coordinating with first responders.
A pipeline explosion sent a large fireball into Yellowhead County near Edson on Tuesday, April 16, 2024.
Supplied to Global News
Alberta Wildfire said surrounding trees had caught fire, so it was also responding to the fire north of Lyn Obed.
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“Air tankers, heavy equipment and firefighters are en route to the incident,” said an update posted around 1 pm on the fire labeled as EWF015.
The fire is about 28 kilometers north-northeast of Lyn Obed, 35 kilometers north-west of Edson and 55 kilometers north-east of Hinton, the province said.
The wildfire was visible from Highway 40 north and Highway 16. Alberta Wildfire and the county said they are working together, along with industry staff, to extinguish the remaining wildfire.
Just before midday, the provincial wildfire dashboard said the fire was out of control at around 10 hectares in size.
Alberta RCMP said it received a call about the incident just after 11:30 a.m. and Mounties and Yellowhead County fire crews responded to the rural location.
The affected section of the pipeline has been isolated and closed, TC Energy and the county confirmed, and there was no more gas leaking.
“Our primary focus at this time is the health and safety of responding personnel, the surrounding communities and mitigating risk to the environment,” said TC Energy.
An investigation is being conducted into the cause of the fire.
The county said there is no threat to the public, and crews continue to work on the scene of the fire, including and extinguishing the remaining fire.
There are no reports of any injuries. Global News has requests to AHS and OHS to confirm that.
– More to come…
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