14 DAY TRIAL // About 4,000 people in the province of Manitoba in Canada currently have no access to gas. This is due to the fact that, this past Saturday, a pipeline running through the region exploded, caught fire and continued to burn unabated for about 12 hours.
The explosion is said to have occurred at a distance of about 50 kilometers (roughly 31 miles) south of Winnipeg.
Information made available to the public says that the natural gas pipeline burst into flames shortly after midnight, and that the flames reached heights of several hundred meters.
“We could see these massive 200- to 300-meter (656- to 984-feet) high flames just shooting out of the ground and it literally sounded like a jet plane,” a man by the name Paul Rawluk told the press.
Despite the seriousness of the incident, no deaths or injuries related to it were reported.
However, the country's National Energy Board decided that it would be best to evacuate the region as a precaution, Think Progress says.
High officials in the area say that, all things considered, it will be some 24 – 72 hours before people once again have access to natural gas supplies.
To make matters even worse, this outage hit the province of Manitoba at a time when local temperatures drop to about -20 degrees Celsius (-68 degrees Fahrenheit).
Until workers are done restoring natural gas services, compressed natural gas is being transported in the area. This supply is to be used to keep facilities such as personal care homes up and running.
It will also serve to heat schools or churches where people can take shelter.
People who have chosen to remain in their homes have been asked to turn down thermostats, and keep the use of electric heaters at a minimum.
For the time being, there is no evidence that indicates that the natural gas pipeline burst into flames as a result of negligence or foul play. On the contrary, it would appear that the explosion was no more and no less than an accident.
Footage of the fire shooting out of the ground is made available in the video below.
