Send this page to someone via email As many as 100 people have been evacuated from the reserve of the Lheidli T’enneh First Nation north of Prince George after a pipeline explosion generated a massive fire that could be seen from the campus of the University of Northern B.C. (UNBC) on Tuesday. Enbridge confirmed that a rupture happened on a line it owns and operates at about 5:45 p.m., about 13.5 kilometres north of Prince George, said a company statement. WATCH: Joshua Seymour was right nearby when a pipeline ruptured close to Prince George 4:29 Pipeline explosion near Prince George forces about 100 evacuations Pipeline explosion near Prince George forces about 100 evacuations – Oct 9, 2018 The rupture happened at a site in a rural area and no injuries were reported. Story continues below advertisement Emergency crews with the company responded, isolated and were working to depressurize two natural gas transmissions lines in the area so that the incident could be contained, the statement added. READ MORE: TransCanada plans to start construction of Keystone XL pipeline in 2019 WATCH: Aerials show the aftermath of Enbridge pipeline explosion near Prince George 1:00 Aerials show aftermath of Enbridge pipeline explosion near Prince George Aerials show aftermath of Enbridge pipeline explosion near Prince George – Oct 10, 2018 The Prince George RCMP confirmed that an explosion happened, forcing evacuations in the immediate vicinity of the fire. In a news release, police said they responded to a call about an explosion close to Landooz Road at about 5:30 p.m. Homes within several kilometres were evacuated, but the evacuation zone was later reduced to one kilometre. Story continues below advertisement RCMP were on scene throughout the night and most of the impacted residents have since been allowed to return home. WATCH: ‘It’s raining down ash’: Gas pipeline explodes north of Prince George, B.C. 3:09 ‘It’s raining down ash’: Gas pipeline explodes north of Prince George, B.C. ‘It’s raining down ash’: Gas pipeline explodes north of Prince George, B.C – Oct 9, 2018 RCMP said the explosion “appeared to have” involved an Enbridge natural gas pipeline, and that there were no injuries nor any reported damage except to the pipeline itself. The gas supply was shut down and there’s not yet any indication of what caused the blast. The explosion has prompted a warning from FortisBC, saying it is anticipating a dip in energy flow and potential loss of service. WATCH: Pipeline explosion near Prince George could impact Fortis customers 2:10 Pipeline explosion near Prince George could impact Fortis customers Pipeline explosion near Prince George could impact Fortis customers – Oct 10, 2018 The pipeline feeds the utility’s natural gas system, which has Fortis urging customers to turn off their thermostats and reduce use of their natural gas appliances. Story continues below advertisement A similar warning has been issued in Washington state. FortisBC estimates about 70 per cent of its one million customers have the potential to lose gas supply due to the incident. Bryan Seymour took this video from the reserve of the Lheidli T’enneh First Nation, which is located nearby. Seymour heard a “big explosion” around 6 p.m. that left his house shaking. He initially thought it was an excavator, as development has been happening close to his home — but the noise “carried on longer than it should have.” “My mother got up to look out the window, she saw a big cloud of smoke, a mushroom cloud of fire,” Seymour said. Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "My mother got up to look out the window, she saw a big cloud of smoke, a mushroom cloud of fire," Seymour said. He said there are two reserves that straddle the Fraser River near Prince George, and the explosion happened on the north side, between the reserve and the Salmon Valley. WATCH: Enbridge natural gas pipeline explodes near Prince George 2:13 Enbridge natural gas pipeline explodes near Prince George Enbridge natural gas pipeline explodes near Prince George – Oct 10, 2018 Seymour went on to say a pipeline runs under the First Nation’s evacuation route, leaving residents “kind of shaken” that they had to drive over it. Story continues below advertisement He noted, however, that there was a shutoff valve on the side of the road. Social media lit up with photos and video of the fire, which appeared to be burning at a distance from the city, though it was still visible there. Some say Shelley, some say Northwood. My friend @jpmartin70 just took this clip from @UNBC parking lot… flames 200+ feet in the air. pic.twitter.com/V0o8alFm7r — Glen Thielmann (@gthielmann) October 10, 2018 A video shot from the UNBC campus by JP Martin shows a fireball burning in the distance. Martin, a schoolteacher in the Prince George school district, described it as a “massive, massive fireball.” He said that he stood on the campus watching the fire for about 15 minutes and that the fireball stayed “very, very big, and every once in a while it would definitely expand.” Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: He said that he stood on the campus watching the fire for about 15 minutes and that the fireball stayed "very, very big, and every once in a while it would definitely expand." WATCH: Ottawa to re-consult with Indigenous groups on Trans Mountain pipeline 3:54 Ottawa to re-consult with Indigenous groups on Trans Mountain pipeline Ottawa to re-consult with Indigenous groups on Trans Mountain pipeline – Oct 3, 2018 Martin said the winds were too strong to hear any possible explosions, but he said the strength of the fire didn’t dissipate while he was there. Story continues below advertisement Prince George resident Marc Paulsen took the following photo at about 5:45 p.m. @GlobalBC this is a view from my front window in Prince George. Apparently a gas line exploded north of the city. Do you have any info? pic.twitter.com/SpPNGOXoNH — Marc Paulsen (@marcusdabestus) October 10, 2018 Wendy Spraggs, another Prince George resident, described hear a “sonic boom” when the explosion happened. “We looked across the river, and just beyond the trees there was a huge fireball going into the sky,” she said. “We knew it was a pipeline because that was all it could be with that kind of noise.” Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "We knew it was a pipeline because that was all it could be with that kind of noise." Spraggs was first to call the incident into Spectra Energy, a company that does maintenance work on pipelines. She later received a call back from Enbridge. Spraggs said the fire only lasted temporarily — the sky was dark again by the time she spoke with Global News. With files from CKPG, Jon Azpiri, and Sarah MacDonald<doc-sep>The RCMP has confirmed that there has been a pipeline explosion in the vicinity of Prince George, B.C. On social media, witnesses described hearing explosions northeast of the city in the community of Shelley. Images from the scene show a fiery blaze and a billowing pillar of smoke. According to B.C. 's Ministry of Environment, the incident occured at a gas line that is operated by Enbridge. No injuries have been reported. FIRE near Salmon Valley Prince George pic.twitter.com/bUnxWcyWlK — Rockybeach (@rockybeach67) October 10, 2018<doc-sep>
Open this photo in gallery A massive fire sparked after a pipeline ruptured north of Prince George, B.C., is shown in this photo provided by Dhruv Desai. Dhruv Desai /The Canadian Press About 100 members of a First Nation community in northern British Columbia were evacuated from their homes Tuesday evening after a gas pipeline ruptured, sparking a massive blaze. The rupture happened on a natural gas transmission pipeline owned and operated by Enbridge about 13.5 kilometres from Prince George on Tuesday evening, Enbridge spokesman Michael Barnes said in an e-mailed statement. It ignited at the site, which is in a rural area. There are no reports of injuries, he said. Story continues below advertisement “Enbridge emergency crews have responded, have isolated and are currently depressurizing two natural gas transmission lines in the vicinity to contain the incident,” he said. “The incident area has been cordoned off to maintain public safety.” “Enbridge is working with area communities to ensure public safety,” he said. Residences within several kilometres of the site were evacuated as a precaution, but within a few hours the evacuation zone was reduced to a kilometre and residents were allowed to return home, police said. The evacuees largely belonged to the nearby Lheidli T’enneh First Nation. British Columbia’s Ministry of Environment said it had been notified of the incident in Shelley, B.C., and involved an 900 PSI pipeline. Prince George resident Dhruv Desai said he was driving up a hill toward the nearby University of Northern British Columbia when he noticed several cars had pulled off the road taking photos of something. He pulled over as well and snapped his own shots of a massive blaze. “I was able to see it very clearly from the hill,” he said. “It was huge even from this distance.” Story continues below advertisement Meanwhile, National Energy Board spokesman Tom Neufeld said the fire was along Enbridge’s Westcoast main line, which falls under the board’s jurisdiction. The Westcoast Transmission System transports natural gas produced in the Western Canadian Sedimentary Basin to consumers in B.C. and, through interconnecting pipelines, other Canadian provinces and the United States. “NEB inspectors have been deployed to this area. They’re going to monitor and oversee the company’s response to the incident, and they’re going to determine the impact and extend of the fire and release,” Neufeld said. The NEB has also activated its emergency operations centre in Calgary, he said. It will work closely with the Transportation Safety Board, which is responsible for investigating the incident, Neufeld said.