BROOKDALE, Man. (CP) - Officials with TransCanada PipeLines Ltd. still did not know Monday evening what caused a natural gas pipeline to explode the night before, forcing about 100 people from their homes.
All but two families were allowed back Monday night and Chuck Sanderson of Manitoba's Emergency Measures Organization said the remaining families should be allowed back on Tuesday. The explosion sent "great balls of flame" into the air and left a crater in the ground about 100 metres long and 25 metres wide.
No one was injured, but the blast left many in the neighbourhood shaken.
"Our initial investigation has been concluded, but we're currently trying to get additional crew on site to begin a more thorough investigation to assess the damage," said TransCanada spokesman Glenn Herchak from Calgary.
The blast ruptured one of six buried lines in the area 30 kilometres northeast of Brandon, Man.
Swampy terrain and rain Monday were slowing the investigation effort.
Sanderson said many of those who were evacuated stayed with friends or relatives and an evacuee centre was setup at a local school.
The fire, which broke out around 11 p.m Sunday, could be seen at least 150 kilometres away.
It was extinguished quickly after gas to the damaged line was shut off, but firefighters then had to battle grass and brush blazes.
Herchak said the flow of gas in adjacent pipelines was also stopped. The three remaining pipelines were enough to ensure service was not disrupted.
The six lines are buried about 10 metres apart.
A statement issued by TransCanada said the explosion and fire occurred in a relatively remote area, about two kilometres from the nearest residents.
Brookdale-area resident Bill Loewen, however, said the explosion appeared to be in an area where there are a number of valves and was less than a kilometre from a couple of homes.
Dennis Bear of the Birdtail Sioux First Nation near Birtle, Man., said he could see flames from his home 150 kilometres away.
Ken Waddell, mayor of Neepawa, said he saw balls of fire above the site and flames reaching 300 metres into the sky.
"You can hear the roar of the fire," Waddell said Sunday night. "It sounds like a train or thunder in the distance."
In 1995, there was an explosion at a TransCanada compressor station at nearby Rapid City, north of Brandon. Two natural gas lines ruptured, one due to a corrosion stress crack.
That incident prompted the Transportation Safety Board of Canada to recommend the National Energy Board reassess its procedures for ensuring a rapid shutdown of oil and gas pipelines in the event of an emergency.
Homes can be a lot closer to the pipeline than those near Brookdale.
Regulations state that there must be a 30-metre buffer zone on either side of the pipeline right-of-way.
In April 1996, a pipeline explosion destroyed a house and forced an evacuation in south Winnipeg. That blast happened at the same time that the National Energy Board was holding an inquiry into pipeline safety.
In its report, the board called for stronger inspection, monitoring, research and management programs at all pipeline companies. Repair crews later replaced about 100 metres of pipe at the Rapid City site.
No one was injured in either incident.
(Brandon Sun)
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