A MAJOR NATURAL GAS PIPELINE NEAR MOSCOW, RUSSIA, failed and ignited explosively shortly after midnight Sunday morning.
Anybody who has witnessed one of these flame-shows can attest to their impressive amount of fire. Witnesses have reported that this one had a flame reaching anywhere from 300- to 900-feet high.
Xinhua / Reuters
Saturday was a major national holiday, Victory Day, with many large fireworks shows occurring around the country. When the pipeline first blew, many people thought it was a part of another fireworks display. The blast occurred near a roadway in a non-residential area of the SW quadrant of the city.
The Russian state news agency RIA Novosti reported that five people were injured and are being treated for burns.
The fire destroyed or damaged utility lines, leaving about 100,000 customers without telephone and Internet communication, the Russian emergencies ministry said. The fire also damaged about 30 cars. Twenty-five fire companies had been sent to the scene, but the fire wasn’t expected to spread.
Presently it is believed to be an accident, but security teams are investigating thoroughly to make sure that it wasn’t a terrorist act or other form of sabotage. The fire was extinguished around 3 pm, fifteen hours after it erupted.
RussiaToday (RT) has this video report with some good fire footage:
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