A nine-man crew was conducting work on the Colonial pipeline system at the time of the explosion, Alabama Governor Robert Bentley told a briefing. Seven of the crew members were injured, with two evacuated by air.

Four victims of the blast were taken to the UAB hospital in Birmingham, Alabama, hospital spokesman Adam Pope said.

A segment of pipeline was undergoing maintenance on Monday afternoon when it exploded. The fire had been contained as of around 9 p.m., according to local media reports.

It was not clear whether the explosion happened on the gasoline or the distillates pipeline, the governor said in the briefing.

Colonial said company personnel and emergency crews were responding to the incident. The U.S. Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration, or PHMSA, said it had personnel on the way to the site.

Bentley's office said on Twitter the site was about a mile west of a massive leak last month that closed the gasoline pipeline for over 12 days. A 3-mile (4.8-km) area around the site had been evacuated, the governor said.

A temporary flight restriction is in effect in the area around the pipeline explosion, the Alabama Emergency Management Agency said on Twitter.

Colonial, the biggest refined products system in the United States, is responsible for supplying about one-third of the 3.2 million barrels per day of gasoline consumed on the East Coast, according to U.S. Energy Department data.

Colonial was working to restart a section of pipeline damaged after its biggest leak of gasoline in nearly two decades on Sept. 9, which released as much as 8,000 barrels (336,000 gallons) of gasoline in Shelby County. The restart was planned for mid-November after removal of a bypass line installed after the September leak.

The pipeline was out of service for more than 12 days following the leak and its closure drove up gasoline prices at the pump in the U.S. Southeast and on futures markets.

On Monday, U.S. gasoline futures jumped as much as 13 percent to $1.6351 a gallon, their highest since early June, following news of the explosion. Futures pared gains thereafter, falling by about 6 cents, or 3.7 percent.

The 5,500-mile (8,850-km) Colonial is the largest U.S. refined products pipeline system and transports gasoline, diesel and jet fuel from the U.S. Gulf Coast to the New York Harbor area. The pipelines that shut run from Houston to Greensboro, North Carolina.

It has already had five spills reported in Alabama in 2016, including the one in September, according to PHMSA data.

Pipeline safety has come under increased scrutiny in recent months following a dispute over Energy Transfer Partners' 1,100-mile (1,770-km) North Dakota Access Pipeline.

The U.S. government halted construction on a segment of that pipeline in early September following protests from Native Americans who said the pipeline could desecrate sacred grounds and that spills could contaminate drinking water.</s>Colonial Pipeline shut down its main gasoline pipelines in Shelby County, Alabama, on Monday following reports of a fire on its right of way, the company said in a notice on Monday.

The segment of the pipeline was undergoing maintenance on Monday afternoon when it exploded, resulting in several workers suffering serious injuries, according to the Shelby County Sheriff's office.

The explosion occurred near Highway 13 and River Road, the Shelby County sheriff's department said.

Colonial said company personnel and emergency crews were responding to the incident.

Colonial Pipeline experienced a spill in Shelby County on Sept. 9, which leaked between 6,000 to 8,000 barrels of gasoline.

The explosion occurred about a mile from any residential area, according to local media reports.

Alabama's Emergency Management Agency said in a statement it is "monitoring the situation closely and are ready to offer assistance to the local municipalities if need. We are keeping the governor's office and other key personal updated on the situation."</s>A segment of the pipeline was undergoing maintenance on Monday afternoon when it exploded, resulting in several workers suffering serious injuries, according to the Shelby County sheriff's office.

The explosion occurred near Shelby County Highway 13 and River Road, the sheriff's office said, adding the number of those injured is believed to be less than ten. AL.com, citing local public radio, reported at least seven were severely burned.

The fire was still burning as of 7:45 p.m EDT (2345 GMT).

The explosion occurred at least a mile from any residential area though a three-mile area around the site has been evacuated, according to local media.

Colonial said company personnel and emergency crews were responding to the incident. The U.S. Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) said they were aware of the incident and also had personnel en route to the site.

"The explosion is Colonial Pipeline & occurred approx one mile west of the previous incident," Alabama Governor Robert Bentley's office said on Twitter.

A Colonial pipeline experienced a spill in Shelby County on Sept. 9, which leaked between 6,000 to 8,000 barrels of gasoline. The pipeline was out of service for more than 12 days following that incident and drove up gasoline prices at the pump in the U.S. Southeast.

That gasoline leak was the company's biggest since 1997 and the third-largest among all petroleum products in the last two decades.

U.S. gasoline futures RBc1 jumped as much as 13 percent to $1.6351 per gallon their highest since early June at the open of the futures trading session. The prompt futures spread RBc1-RBc2 widened to the highest since Aug. 3.

Colonial is a key artery that connects Gulf Coast refineries with markets across the southern and eastern United States, delivering gasoline, diesel, jet fuel and other refined products.

Colonial has said it was working to remove the bypass line installed after the leak in September and expected to fully restart the damaged part of the fuel artery by mid-November.

Colonial Pipeline has had five spills reported in Alabama in 2016 alone, including the one in September, according to PHMSA data.

Colonial operates two main pipelines from Houston, Texas to Greensboro, Carolina. Its gasoline line has capacity of about 1.3 million barrels per day.</s>A massive gas explosion at the Colonial Pipeline Co in Alabama shuts the pipeline for the second time in two months. Julie Noce reports.</s>HELENA, Ala. (AP) — At least seven workers were injured Monday when an explosion occurred along the Colonial Pipeline in rural Alabama, not far where it burst last month, authorities said.

The explosion sent flames soaring over the forest about a mile west of where the pipeline burst in September, Gov. Robert Bentley said in a statement. That rupture led to gasoline shortages across the South.

People within 3 miles of the blast site were being evacuated, the governor said.

“We’ll just hope and pray for the best,” the governor added.

Video from area media shows a huge plume of flame and smoke rising in a wooded area in Shelby County southwest of Birmingham.

The seven injured workers were taken to Birmingham hospitals by helicopter and ambulance, Bentley told WBRC-TV in a live interview Monday evening.

“It appears to have been an accident, and they’re allowing fuel to burn,” Bentley said. “It’s about one mile west of where the repair took place on the Colonial Pipeline just recently.”

Georgia-based Colonial Pipeline said in a brief statement Monday evening that it has shut down its main pipeline.

“Colonial’s top priorities are the health and safety of the work crew on site and protection of the public,” the company said.

The company’s statement did not address how Monday’s explosion might affect the availability of gasoline, and said more information would be released as it becomes available.

Several fire departments were sending crews to assist. Helena police say they’re assisting Shelby County authorities with the blaze.

The explosion happened in a remote area outside the town of Helena, away from residential areas, Helena Mayor Mark told WBRC-TV.

In September, the Colonial Pipeline leaked thousands of gallons of gas southwest of Birmingham near Helena and led to dry fuel pumps in several Southern states — for days, in some cases. There was no immediate indication Thursday whether or not Monday’s explosion will lead to similar shortages.

Colonial Pipeline, based in Alpharetta, Georgia, transports more than 100 million gallons of products daily to markets between Houston and New York City, serving more than 50 million people, it says on its website. They include petroleum products such as gasoline, diesel fuel and jet fuel. Authorities have not said which type of fuel was involved in the explosion Monday.

Copyright 2016 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.</s>Witnesses say they heard two explosions in rapid succession when a pipeline exploded and caught fire in Alabama.

Eddie Moore and his wife were at home in their rural house a few miles from the site of Monday's blast when they heard loud, sharp sounds in the distance.

Moore said he drove closer to the sounds and saw flames shooting more than 100 feet in the air, plus thick smoke. Still, Moore said living so close to the blast doesn't bother him.

One worker was killed and several others hurt in the explosion.

Experts say motorists could soon begin seeing higher costs at gas pumps in some Southern states after a pipeline explosion in Alabama.

Georgia-based Colonial Pipeline said it shut down both of its main lines after Monday's blast, which killed a worker and injured several others. Both lines, which supply gasoline to millions of people across the South, remained closed Tuesday morning.

AAA spokeswoman Tamra Johnson says that if both lines remain shut down, drivers could begin to see higher prices at the pumps within about a week.

Johnson noted that Colonial was able to open its second main line soon after last month's leak was detected, and began moving products through it. This situation could be different, if both lines remain closed for days.

An explosion has shut down a pipeline that supplies gasoline to millions of people for the second time in less than two months, raising the of gas shortages and price increases.

An earlier pipeline leak not far from Monday's explosion led to Colonial Pipeline to shut down the delivery system in September. That prompted dry pumps and higher prices in Alabama, Georgia, Tennessee, South Carolina and North Carolina.</s>US benchmark gasoline futures have spiked by 11 per cent overnight to $1.57 a gallon after an explosion on the Colonial Pipeline, the main conduit carrying fuel from the refining hub on the US Gulf coast to markets in the east.

RBOB gasoline futures, which are delivered into New York Harbor, gained as much as 13 per cent to $1.63 a gallon, before pairing the rise slightly in London trading, writes David Sheppard.

The spike in gasoline futures was providing some support to crude, which has come under pressure over concerns Opec is struggling to firm up an agreement to reduce supply ahead of its next official meeting on November 30.

Brent, the international crude benchmark, hit a one-month low below $48 a barrel on Monday but was up marginally on Tuesday at $48.64, gaining 0.1 per cent from its closing price.

The explosion on the Colonial Pipeline occurred after a contract crew working on the line in Alabama struck it with an industrial digger, the company said late on Monday. There was one fatality and five workers transported to hospital.

The pipeline can carry about 2.5m barrels a day of gasoline, diesel, jet fuel and other products from the Gulf Coast refining hub to the biggest population centres on the US East Coast.

The line was previously shut down in September after a leak was discovered.</s>Colonial did not estimate a restart time as it grappled with the fire, which came weeks after it suffered its biggest gasoline spill in nearly two decades on the same pipeline. The crucial supply line to the U.S. East Coast was shut for more than 12 days at the time.

Colonial, the biggest refined products pipeline system in the United States, is responsible for supplying about one-third of the 3.2 million barrels per day of gasoline consumed on the East Coast, according to U.S. Energy Department data.

A nine-man crew was conducting work on the Colonial Pipeline system in Shelby County at the time of the explosion, according to Alabama Governor Robert Bentley. One person was killed and five others were transported to Birmingham-area hospitals for treatment, Colonial said. The fire has been brought under control, local media reported

The explosion occurred when the crew hit Line 1, its main gasoline pipeline, with a track hoe, Colonial said late Monday.

A source with a large Colonial shipper said they expected the line to likely be down for a minimum of a week while the distillates line will probably be out for at least 4 days, if there is no damage to it. The distillates line is adjacent to the main line and carries diesel fuel and jet fuel. It was unclear if that line was damaged but it was shut as a precaution.

Analysts at Barclays said the gasoline line could be shut for at least a month because regulators "will be very cautious about restarting the pipelines, especially since Line 1 just suffered a spill and tensions between pipeline companies and environmentalist groups have never been higher."

Gasoline futures for December delivery rose as much as 13 percent early in the session to $1.6351, its highest since early June. It was up about 10 percent, at $1.56 per gallon at 9:19 a.m. EDT.

U.S. gasoline margins soared to the highest levels since early May.

The spill on Sept. 9 led to long lines at the pump and a shortage of fuel in southeastern states like Georgia, Tennessee and Alabama.

Monday's explosion occurred several miles from the site of a Sept. 9 spill, Colonial said.

Alternative supplies can be hard to come by for inland markets in the southeast United States, which do not have access to ports.

For the northeast, supplies can be relatively easier to get but can be expensive due to the Jones Act, a maritime policy that requires goods transported by water between U.S. ports to be carried on U.S.-flagged ships.

The 5,500-mile (8,850-km) Colonial Pipeline is the largest U.S. refined products pipeline system and transports gasoline, diesel and jet fuel from the U.S. Gulf Coast to the New York Harbor area.</s>Flames shoot into the sky from a gas line explosion in western Shelby County, Alabama, Oct. 31.

MARVIN GENTRY / Reuters</s>HELENA, Ala. -- A deadly explosion that sparked a geyser of fire has shut down a pipeline supplying gasoline to millions of people across the Southeast, raising fears of another round of gas shortages and price increases after the pipeline's second accident and shutdown in two months.

Continuing fires in the drought-stricken area of central Alabama hampered officials' efforts to fully assess the damage Tuesday afternoon, and firefighters built an earthen berm to contain the burning fuel.

It happened when a dirt-moving track hoe struck the pipeline, ignited gasoline and sparked a blast Monday, killing one worker and injuring five others, Georgia-based Colonial Pipeline said.

Four of the injured remained hospitalized, Colonial spokesman Bill Barry said at a Tuesday afternoon news conference in nearby Helena. UAB Hospital, where the injured were treated, declined to release information on them, citing requests by their families for privacy.

Another worker was treated for less-severe injuries and released from a hospital, Berry said.

The company said it hoped to restart the pipeline as early as the weekend. As much as 168,000 gallons of gasoline could have burned, spilled, evaporated or remained in the pipeline, the company said.

The explosion happened a few miles from where the Colonial pipeline sprung a leak and spilled 252,000 to 336,000 gallons of gasoline in September. After the leak, the company used one of Colonial's two main lines to move gasoline as it made repairs, but it still led to days of dry pumps and higher gas prices in Alabama, Georgia, Tennessee and the Carolinas while repairs were made.

The contractors were working on repairs related to the September leak when gasoline ignited and spread fire to the pipeline, the U.S. Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration said Tuesday.

The nine-member crew was using the track hoe to excavate the pipeline so that permanent repairs from the September leak could be made, Colonial Pipeline executive Gerald Beck said.

The Colonial pipeline provides nearly 40 percent of the region's gasoline and usually runs at or near full capacity. Together, Colonial's two lines carry more than 2 million barrels of fuel a day.

By midday Tuesday, Colonial Pipeline said it was able to restart the second of its two main lines, which carries diesel fuel and jet fuel.

The severity of the gasoline shortage will depend on how long the gasoline pipeline remains closed, AAA spokesman Mark Jenkins said.

"We would encourage drivers not to panic, so don't run to the gas station and start filling up every gas can you can," said AAA spokesman Tamra Johnson.

After the September leak, Colonial said it made up some of the gasoline shortfall by sending gas through the line that usually carries diesel and jet fuel. The company has not said whether it will do so again.

Colonial Pipeline, based in Alpharetta, Ga., operates 5,599 miles of pipelines, transporting gasoline, jet fuel, home heating oil and other liquids daily in 13 states and the District of Columbia, according to company filings.

Plagued by a severe drought after weeks without rain, the section of Alabama where the explosion happened has been scarred by multiple wildfires in recent weeks, and crews worked to keep the blaze from spreading.

Pete Valenti, deputy fire chief in Helena, said the pipeline was spewing a geyser of flame several hundred feet into the air when crews arrived.

"There was a hole in the pipeline. Product was just shooting out," he said.

Two wildfires caused by the explosion burned 31 acres of land, said Coleen Vansant, a spokesman with the Alabama Forestry Commission.

Houses around the blast scene were evacuated, and sheriff's Capt. Jeff Hartley said it wasn't clear when people might be able to return home.

Alabama Gov. Robert Bentley and Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal temporarily eased limits on the hours that truckers carrying gasoline may drive. Other governors took similar action after the September leak, which allowed truckers to transport more gasoline by highways, making up for some of the shortage.

In North Carolina, Attorney General Roy Cooper reminded residents that North Carolina's price gouging law remains in effect, and Gov. Pat McCrory urged citizens not to participate in panic buying. McCrory, a Republican, and Cooper, a Democrat, are rivals in the 2016 governor's race.

Information for this article was contributed by David Koenig of The Associated Press.
One person is killed and at least five others injured following an explosion and fire along one of Colonial Pipeline's conduits in rural Alabama (US), the second incident on this section of the line in less than two months. One pipeline reopened this evening while a second is expected to working by Saturday.