A construction crew accidentally ruptured a natural gas transmission line on Friday in Fresno, California, sparking an explosion and fire that injured up to 15 people, at least one of them critically, a fire department spokesman said.
The 12-inch pipeline, belonging to Pacific Gas & Electric Corp., was struck by a backhoe near state highway 99, unleashing a fireball that injured members of the construction team and a prison inmate crew in the vicinity, spokesman Peter Martinez said.
The accident prompted closure of the highway in both directions, along with an adjacent railroad line, Martinez said. Rail traffic was halted to allow a bridge that carries the tracks over a river to be inspected for possible damage, he said.
One worker was flown by helicopter to a hospital in critical condition, and 13 or 14 other people, some of them members of the inmate crew, were taken to hospitals for evaluation and treatment of various injuries, Martinez said. He said the nature and extent of those additional injuries were not immediately known.
There were no reports of fatalities, he said.
The pipeline was ruptured at about 2:30 p.m., and it was expected to take PG&E until 6:30 p.m. to shut off the flow of gas from it, he said.
The accident occurred about 188 miles southeast of San Francisco, in an area of Fresno near a law enforcement gun range.
A PG&E representative said the utility was investigating the incident.
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