Explosion and fire damages gas pipeline between Lithuania and Latvia

A gas pipeline between Lithuania and Latvia has caught fire after an explosion, Lithuanian gas transport company Amber Grid reports. Lithuanian public TV channel LRT has footage of the pipe fire in Panevezys district in northern Lithuania.

The gas supply through the pipeline was shut off and the fire is now out. The flames reached heights of up to fifty meters and could be seen for miles around.

The fire brigade kept an eye on the fire, but did not extinguish it as long as gas was still flowing from the pipe. “Any attempt to extinguish the fire now is pointless, it would be a waste of water,” said a spokesman.

Amber Grid is investigating how the explosion could have happened, but the company is not yet thinking of an attack. Nevertheless, all options are kept open

The impact and the fire damaged one of the two parallel pipelines. Amber Grid will be running gas through the other pipe again in the next few hours. Customers shouldn’t notice.

Lithuania borders Belarus to the east and the Baltic Sea on the other side. There, the Nord Stream pipeline between Russia and Germany was destroyed last year.