mr.x
July 25th, 2007, 02:26 AM
anybody wanna drop a cigarette on that big puddle?
Oil pipeline accident causes spill in Burnaby, B.C.
Updated Tue. Jul. 24 2007 7:23 PM ET
CTV.ca News Staff
The rupture of an oil pipeline running under a highway in Burnaby, B.C. sent a geyser of oil into the sky and led to contamination of both homes and nearby Burrard Inlet.
The oil gushed for a reported 25 minutes on Tuesday before crews were able to staunch the flow.
Freelance videographer Shawn Soucy lives near the spill site in Burnaby, a Vancouver suburb.
"I smelled what I thought was diesel fuel," he told CTV Newsnet. "I didn't see a spill, but when I got to the back yard, I saw the spray, the geyser of oil, above my neighbour's roofs."
Soucy said, "I shot it for a good 15, 20 minutes and I smelled it for another five or 10."
There were two different plumes, and the spray went up more than 20 metres, covering trees, houses and a Honda Civic, he said.
"This is a major, major oil spill. This isn't a couple of gallons," Soucy said.
Kinder Morgan Canada owns the pipeline. Philippe Reicher, a company spokesman, said the TransMountain Pipeline transfers crude oil from Edmonton to Burnaby. The oil is stored there before being piped onto tankers for shipment.
The spill appears to be an industrial mishap.
Soucy said workers "who were wiping the oil off themselves" told him a backhoe hit the 60-centimetre pipeline. Some video he shot showed an oil-drenched backhoe. He offered the workers the use of his shower.
Burnaby Mayor Derek Corrigan told reporters that the line burst after city crews were working on a road upgrade. Burnaby firefighters also said a piece of equipment hit the line.
An RCMP officer had claimed earlier that a vehicle struck an oil head.
Officials cancelled an initial evacuation order once they contained the leak. RCMP Cpl. Jane Baptista couldn't say how many were evacuated.
Soucy said the initial order wasn't mandatory, and he didn't have to leave his home.
Corrigan told Newsnet that up to 100 homes might be affected. However, there have been no serious injuries and there is currently no risk to public safety.
There are fears that an environmental problem may be developing.
Local radio station News1130 reported that witnesses are described the scene as a "river of oil."
They say the oil has contaminated nearby Burrard Inlet, which forms Burnaby's north boundary. TV images showed Canada geese on the shoreline right beside the oil-contaminated seawater.
"It's mainly an environmental concern at this point," Corrigan told Newsnet.
Booms were set up quickly, and much of the oil that went into the sewer was collected in the pump station at the outfall, he said.
"Only the overflow ended up in the inlet. It's quite a system we have in place."
He said Kinder Morgan worked as quickly as possible to turn the oil off after the rupture occurred.
Reicher said the city informed the company at 12:30 p.m. local time.
With files from The Canadian Press
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Oil pipeline accident causes spill in Burnaby, B.C.
Updated Tue. Jul. 24 2007 7:23 PM ET
CTV.ca News Staff
The rupture of an oil pipeline running under a highway in Burnaby, B.C. sent a geyser of oil into the sky and led to contamination of both homes and nearby Burrard Inlet.
The oil gushed for a reported 25 minutes on Tuesday before crews were able to staunch the flow.
Freelance videographer Shawn Soucy lives near the spill site in Burnaby, a Vancouver suburb.
"I smelled what I thought was diesel fuel," he told CTV Newsnet. "I didn't see a spill, but when I got to the back yard, I saw the spray, the geyser of oil, above my neighbour's roofs."
Soucy said, "I shot it for a good 15, 20 minutes and I smelled it for another five or 10."
There were two different plumes, and the spray went up more than 20 metres, covering trees, houses and a Honda Civic, he said.
"This is a major, major oil spill. This isn't a couple of gallons," Soucy said.
Kinder Morgan Canada owns the pipeline. Philippe Reicher, a company spokesman, said the TransMountain Pipeline transfers crude oil from Edmonton to Burnaby. The oil is stored there before being piped onto tankers for shipment.
The spill appears to be an industrial mishap.
Soucy said workers "who were wiping the oil off themselves" told him a backhoe hit the 60-centimetre pipeline. Some video he shot showed an oil-drenched backhoe. He offered the workers the use of his shower.
Burnaby Mayor Derek Corrigan told reporters that the line burst after city crews were working on a road upgrade. Burnaby firefighters also said a piece of equipment hit the line.
An RCMP officer had claimed earlier that a vehicle struck an oil head.
Officials cancelled an initial evacuation order once they contained the leak. RCMP Cpl. Jane Baptista couldn't say how many were evacuated.
Soucy said the initial order wasn't mandatory, and he didn't have to leave his home.
Corrigan told Newsnet that up to 100 homes might be affected. However, there have been no serious injuries and there is currently no risk to public safety.
There are fears that an environmental problem may be developing.
Local radio station News1130 reported that witnesses are described the scene as a "river of oil."
They say the oil has contaminated nearby Burrard Inlet, which forms Burnaby's north boundary. TV images showed Canada geese on the shoreline right beside the oil-contaminated seawater.
"It's mainly an environmental concern at this point," Corrigan told Newsnet.
Booms were set up quickly, and much of the oil that went into the sewer was collected in the pump station at the outfall, he said.
"Only the overflow ended up in the inlet. It's quite a system we have in place."
He said Kinder Morgan worked as quickly as possible to turn the oil off after the rupture occurred.
Reicher said the city informed the company at 12:30 p.m. local time.
With files from The Canadian Press
http://a123.g.akamai.net/f/123/12465/1d/media.canada.com/gallery/oilspill/gn070724oil.jpg
http://a123.g.akamai.net/f/123/12465/1d/media.canada.com/gallery/oilspill/gn070724oil3.jpg
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http://images.ctv.ca/archives/CTVNews/img2/20070724/160_oil_spill_water_070724.jpg
http://a123.g.akamai.net/f/123/12465/1d/media.canada.com/gallery/oil/worksite.jpg
http://www.680news.com/images/FEEDS/07/24/n0724101A.jpg