Gas pipeline ablaze in SW Iran

By  Trend

Gas pipeline has caught fire following a leak in the Khuzestan-Isfahan pipeline in Khuzestan, said the director general for crisis management on in the Iranian southwestern province on Tuesday, IRNA reports.

Relief forces have been put on standby and deployed to the region to extinguish the fire in the vicinity of a village area in the town of Bagh-e Malek , Kiyomars Hajizadeh said.

Hajizadeh referred to the measures taken to contain the fire and said the personnel of Khuzestan- Isfahan oil and gas pipelines, the governor of Bagh-e Malek and the relief agencies are now involved in the operation to put out the blaze.

There is no need to be concerned as the flames are under control, he said.

He went on to say, if needed and at the request of the governor, all resources will be mobilized.

Hajizadeh said investigations are underway to discover the cause of the blaze.

Mohammad Nejatipour, Governor of Bagh-e Malek, said the incident took place at 6:40 a.m. local time on Tuesday.

He noted in order to ensure the safety of the people and to prevent the possible dangers, residential units adjacent to and around the pipeline have been evacuated.

It is fortunate to say that neither locals nor rescuers have so far been injured, and fire suppression continues, Nejatipour said.