An explosion erupted at a gas pipeline on the outskirts of St. Petersburg in Russia on Saturday, according to a social media post by the Leningrad Region governor.
“Firefighters and rescuers extinguish a fire caused by the depressurization of a gas pipeline between Berngardovka and Kovalevo,” Governor Alexander Drozdenko said on Telegram. “There is no threat to the population and the spread of fire to residential areas.”
Explosion at an oil pipeline in Leningrad, Russia, on the outskirts of Saint Petersburg.
(Photo by Reuters)
The governor said the exact cause of the fireball that emerged in videos on social media is still being investigated.
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No suggestion of sabotage has been mentioned and Russia’s Emergency Situations Ministry said the explosion was likely the result of “depressurization” in the pipeline, which officials have further reduced to stop the fire, the news outlet reported. Russian communication RIA.

Explosion at an oil pipeline in Leningrad, Russia, on the outskirts of Saint Petersburg.
(Reuters)
Drozdenko said that the emergency crew members allowed the gas to burn off and “are preparing to start repairing the pipeline.”
The governor also tried to reassure local residents, saying that despite alarming images circulating on social media, including videos showing a substantial fireball and a burned site after the heavy explosion, the surrounding forest areas likely they were not in danger from the spread of the fire.
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Drozdenko said that the Vsevolozhsk thermal power plant has been “switched” to supply oil instead of gas to “ensure uninterrupted heat supply”.
No casualties have been reported in the explosion or subsequent fire, according to the local governor.