Exposing 'Inherent Danger,' Alabama Pipeline Blast Kills One, Injures More

A major southern gas pipeline exploded Monday afternoon in Alabama, killing one worker and injuring five others.

The explosion occurred in rural Shelby County when a contract crew hit the pipeline with a trackhoe, igniting gasoline, pipeline operator Colonial told Reuters in an e-mailed statement late on Monday. The blast “sent flames and thick black smoke soaring over the forest,” the Associated Press reported. The resulting fires consumed 31 acres and continue to burn, according to a statement from the company, which shut down its two mainlines after the explosion.

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Local station WBRC cited Gov. Robert Bentley in reporting that “forestry crews have helped set up a three-mile perimeter around the explosion site and authorities are evacuating all civilians within that perimeter.”

See footage below from WAFF-48:

And photos were posted on social media:

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