FRESNO – At least 11 people were hurt, three of them in critical condition, due to a gas pipeline explosion near Fresno that also triggered the closure of a part of Highway 99 Friday afternoon.
The explosion, recorded at about 2:30 pm, was triggered after a front-end loader hit a pipe that transports natural gas, said Tony Botti, spokesman of the Fresno County Sheriff’s office.
A large fireball leapt into the sky, according to Pete Martinez from the Fresno Fire Department. The blaze was a two-alarm call for firefighters.
To douse the fireball, PG&E workers shut the gas line. The crew is investigating the incident
A passing motorist said the flame reached more than 200 feet into the air and was about 10 to 15 feet wide.
Despite the car’s air conditioning system being on, the driver said it felt like a furnace inside the vehicle.
Since the heat was so intense that it melted plastic garbage bins at a building 400 feet way, the sheriff’s deputies ordered the workers to go to the San Joaquin River during the blaze.
Margaret Mims, a deputy from the sheriff’s office, said the fireball sounded similar to a jet going off. She said it was the result of the gas and the fire, reports NBC.
A nearby rail line was ordered to temporarily stop operations to avert the risk of leaking gas sparked by a passing train. Some residents in the area had to be evacuated from their units.
One of those in critical condition was a worker who was thrown from the heavy equipment by the force of the blast.
While he sustained very serious injuries, the county worker was able to walk to the ambulance.
He and an inmate, who was seriously injured too, were undergoing emergency surgery on Friday evening, Mims said. – BusinessNewsAsia.com