A construction worker was sent to hospital for facial burns and smoke inhalation after a gas-line was accidentally cut in downtown Victoria on Wednesday.
At roughly 11:00 a.m., fire crews were called to 940 Broughton Street, the building that contains the Greater Victoria Library and several government offices.
At the building, a construction worker accidentally severed a 2-inch pressurized gas-line, causing flames to roar out from the pipe.
“Once the line was cut there was a gas explosion followed by an 8-foot torch from the pipe,” said Victoria Fire Battalion Chief Wayne Moody.
Once fire crews arrived, they quickly contained the flames that were located near the top of the building, and the gas line was shut off.
“[The fire] was on a lower steep of a two-tier roof,” said Moody. “So, we were dealing with the roof and the ceiling and floor below.”
To help douse the flames, a ladder truck was deployed to manage the fire from above.
As the incident was unfolding, the large building was evacuated, displacing an estimated 1000 people. Since then, the building was given the all clear and people were allowed to return inside.
The blaze temporarily closed the block of Broughton Street between Blanshard Avenue and Douglas Street.
