A wildfire that sparked Tuesday after a pipeline ruptured west of Edmonton is now under control.
A pipeline reportedly exploded west of Edmonton late Tuesday morning, sending up a large plume of flames and smoke that was visible from many kilometres away.
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 a considerable distance, including along Highway 16.
There are several gas plants and gas wells in that region and the natural gas pipeline in question is operated by TC Energy.
The energy company said it responded to a pipeline rupture involving it’s NOVA Gas Transmission Ltd. Grande Prairie Mainline, approximately 40 kilometres northwest of Edson in Yellowhead County.
“TC Energy received notification about this incident at approximately 11 a.m. MT and immediately activated our emergency response procedures,” a statement said, adding the company was co-ordinating with first responders.
The NGTL is TC Energy’s natural gas gathering and transportation system for the Western Canadian Sedimentary Basin.
The system transports natural gas from Alberta and northeast B.C. to domestic and export markets. The system spans 24,631 kilometres and connects with TC Energy’s Canadian Mainline system, Foothills system and other third-party pipelines.
Alberta Wildfire said surrounding trees caught fire after the pipeline ruptured and natural gas caught fire, so it was also responding to the blaze north of Obed Lake.
There were eight pieces of heavy equipment, 12 wildland firefighters and additional resources from Yellowhead County and industry at the incident, Alberta Wildfire said in a 3 p.m. update on the fire labelled as EWF015.
Airtankers and helicopters were also working with the firefighters but the time of year presented a challenge, said Alberta Wildfire information officer Caroline Charbonneau.
“One of the conditions that are making it difficult right now is that there is no available water because the lakes are frozen. So the air tankers have to fill at the tanker base, and the helicopter can’t necessarily bucket,” she said.
“Fortunately, we have water trucks at the site and we’re also very fortunate that there’s really good road access.”
The fire is about 28 kilometres north-northeast of Obed Lake, 35 kilometres northwest of Edson and 55 kilometres northeast of Hinton, the province said.
The wildfire could be seen from Highway 40 north and Highway 16. Alberta Wildfire and the county said they were working together, along with industry staff, to extinguish the remaining wildland fire.
In an update at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Alberta Wildfire said the blaze was being held. Crews were expected to be at the scene on Wednesday to extinguish the wildfire.
“The wildfire does not pose a threat to any community,” Alberta Wildfire said in its update.
Just before noon, the province’s wildfire dashboard said the fire was around 10 hectares in size.
“Firefighters are fairly confident that this fire is not going to escape — except we really don’t know what the weather is going to be like,” Charbonneau said.
“We have some storms moving in which could create wind. But what I can say is that no communities are threatened at this time.”
Alberta RCMP said it received a call about the incident just after 11:30 a.m. and both Mounties and Yellowhead County fire crews were responding to the rural scene.
The affected section of pipeline has been isolated and shut down, both TC Energy and the county confirmed, and there was no more gas leaking.
“An initial ignition of natural gas at the rupture site is now extinguished. We are working to support Alberta Wildfire in their response to contain a secondary fire,” TC Energy said later in the afternoon.
The pipeline is under the jurisdiction of the Canadian Energy Regulator. The federal body said it was sending inspectors to the area to monitor and oversee the company’s response and determine the impact of the incident. TC Energy said it would be co-operating with the investigation.
On Wednesday, the CER said preliminary information indicated the 36-inch natural gas pipeline ruptured around 10:45 a.m. Tuesday, causing the small wildfire on Crown land.
The CER said all TC Energy personnel working nearby were safely evacuated. The company reported the explosion to nearby communities, and there were no direct impacts to landowners or Indigenous communities. The company is working with local authorities and has activated its emergency response plan, the CER said.
The agency noted within the same utilities right-of-way cutline there are also two other TC Energy pipelines — a 42-inch and a 48-inch — that remain operational at a reduced pressure, and TC Energy said there are no supply impacts because of the rupture.
The reason for the initial explosion is still being investigated. There were no injuries.
The wildfire risk in that part of Alberta was categorized as moderate on Tuesday, and a fire advisory remains in effect.
“It’s really important for folks to realize that the conditions are very dry and the grass is very dry,” Charbonneau said.
“So any spark, friction or hot exhaust could easily start a wildfire. And if the wind conditions are there, it could burn very quickly.”
TC Energy said the remainder of the NGTL system is operating normally and there are no commercial impacts at this time.
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— With a file from The Canadian Press
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