Investigation begins after natural gas pipeline leak, fire reported in northwest Alberta

Update: On Jan. 9, 2024, the Transportation Safety Board released its investigation report saying the pipeline rupturewas due to external corrosion. The pipeline's external coating systemhad degraded over time, exposing the surface of the pipe to soil, the report says.

A federal investigation has begun after natural gas leakingfrom a pipeline in northwestern Alberta caught fire Thursday.

A team of Transportation Safety Boardinvestigators is being deployed to the Nova Gas Transmission Line site near Fox Creek, Alta., a townabout 260 kilometresnorthwest of Edmonton,stated a TSB news release on Friday.

"A natural gas leak and ignition was reported...near Fox Creek," a spokesperson said in a statement to CBC News.

No injuries have been reported, TC Energy, the line's owner, said Friday afternoon.

TSB investigators were expected to arriveFriday, where they will document the scene, take photos and determine the next steps. They willalso "meet with different parties involved in the occurrence," the statement said.

A fire was reported in the areaThursday but it has since been extinguished, the Canada Energy Regulator said in a statement issued onsocial media.

CER will also be sending inspection officers and emergency management staff to the scene, west of the town. They will monitor the incident as well as oversee the company's response, it said in its statement.

Any environmental damage that may have been caused will be investigated once CER staff have access to the site, the agency said.

In a statement, TC Energy saidemergency management and response procedures are in place, thepipeline is isolated and the company isworking with affected customers.

As a precaution, the company has notified regulators, local responders, nearby industrial operators and Indigenous communities, the statement says.

TheNova Gas Transmission Line network spans 24,494 kilometres, according to the TC Energy website. Itconnects natural gas production in western Canada to domestic and export markets.