Pipeline explosion and fire in Alabama kills one

Reuters has reported that Colonial Pipeline Co shut down its main petroleum product pipelines on Monday after an explosion and fire in Shelby, Alabama, killing a worker and sending five to the hospital. This was the second time in two months it had to close the crucial supply line to the US east coast.

A nine-man crew was conducting work on the Colonial pipeline system at the time of the explosion. Seven of the crew members were injured, with two evacuated by air.

The explosion occurred when a contract crew hit the gasoline pipeline (Line 1) with a trackhoe, igniting gasoline, Colonial said. One worker died at the scene and five individuals were taken to Birmingham-area hospitals for treatment. The explosion also sparked wildfires, burning 32 acres.

Crews built a 2.5 m tall dirt dam to contain burning fuel. Colonial said company personnel and emergency crews were responding to the incident. The US Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration, or PHMSA, said it would be investigating.

A temporary flight restriction is in effect in the area around the pipeline explosion, the Alabama Emergency Management Agency said on Twitter.

Colonial, the biggest refined products system in the US, is responsible for supplying about one-third of the 3.2 Mbpd of gasoline consumed on the east coast, according to US Energy Department data.

Colonial was working to restart a section of pipeline damaged after its biggest leak of gasoline in nearly two decades on 9 September, which released as much as 8000 bbl of gasoline in Shelby County. The restart was planned for mid-November after removal of a bypass line installed after the September leak.

The 5500-mile Colonial Pipeline is the largest US refined products pipeline system and transports gasoline, diesel and jet fuel from the US Gulf Coast to the New York Harbor area. The pipelines affected run from Houston to Greensboro, North Carolina.

Image: Pipeline explosion in western Shelby County, Alabama on 31 October 2016. Source: Reuters.