An explosion occurred on Friday in a gas pipeline connecting Lithuania and Latvia, Lithuanian operator Amber Grid said.
The incident happened in the region (Apskritis) of Panevezys in north-eastern Lithuania.
Images from Lithuania’s public television broadcaster LRT showed flames about fifty meters high, fueled by gas fumes, rising into the air.
“Based on initial findings, the explosion does not appear to have been caused by sabotage, however the investigation will examine all leads,” Nemunas Biknius, CEO of Amber Grid, said at a news conference.
Gas supply interrupted
Gas supplies have been cut and the blazes are expected to die down soon, he added.
Povilas Balciunas, head of public administration for the nearby town of Pasvalys, told Portal that the fire was still ongoing at 1750 GMT.
“Firefighters are not currently fighting the blazes due to gas flares. Any attempt (to fight the fire) would be futile. It would just waste water,” he explained.
Firefighters are monitoring the blaze so they can respond if it spreads, Povilas Balciunas added.
According to the BNS news agency, the authorities were ready to evacuate a village near the scene of the fire. There were no casualties, BNS said.