Achi news desk-
A pipeline was involved in a wildfire in western Alberta on Tuesday, Yellowhead County said.
Firefighters responded to a wildfire north of the intersection of Swanson Road and Emerson Road in the Obed area of ​​Yellowhead County, 35 km northwest of Edson.
“Upon arrival, it was determined that involvement was in progress,” Yellowhead County wrote online.
“Yellowhead County worked with the gas company to shut the pipeline in. There is no more gas leaking.”
TC Energy told CTV News Edmonton that they were notified of the fire around 11am
“We are coordinating with emergency first responders,” a statement read. “The affected section of the pipeline has been isolated and shut down. There are no reports of injuries.”
Alberta Wildfire is on site helping to extinguish the fire. According to an update from the provincial service at 7 o’clock in the evening, the fire is being maintained.
Caroline Charbonneau, Alberta Wildfires information officer in the Edson area, told CTV News Edmonton on Tuesday that she could not confirm an explosion but that residents in the area and from nearby major highways could see a large flame “from a distance.”
He said in the afternoon that the fire was 10 hectares in size.
The fire is still under investigation, Yellowhead County said.
Charbonneau added that the current dry grass conditions in the Edson area mean that wildfires can catch and burn quickly. He said any spark, hot exhaust or friction near dry vegetation can cause wildfires.
TC Energy’s NGTL pipeline system transports natural gas from Alberta and northeastern BC to domestic and export markets. The system spans 24,631 kilometers and connects to TC Energy’s Canadian Main Line system, the Foothills system and other third party pipelines.
Although some TC Energy customers were temporarily affected while the affected pipeline segment was isolated, the company said late Tuesday afternoon that the rest of its system was operating normally.
“There are no commercial impacts at the moment. We continue to communicate directly with our customers,” the company said.
“We are working closely with regulators and authorities and will co-operate in an investigation into this incident.”
The Transportation Safety Board of Canada has sent an investigator to the scene.
With files from The Canadian Press
