Metrogas confirmed that the gas leak and fire in the Buenos Aires neighborhood of Caballito began because «a crew from another company broke a medium-pressure pipe», which generated a blaze with 12-meter-high flames and one person with serious burns.
The incident occurred this afternoon at the intersection of Riglos and Formosa streets, with a significant number of evacuees. Currently, the City Firefighters working in the area have managed to reduce the height of the flames.
The gas supplier company stated: «A crew from another service company working at Riglos 300, corner Formosa, in the Caballito neighborhood, broke a medium-pressure pipe and it caught fire».
The communiqué, accessed by the Argentine News Agency, indicated: «Metrogas is already working on the site with several teams and has cut off the supply in nearby buildings to guarantee the safety of the neighbors».
To control the situation, they indicated that «on each side of the leak, emergency tasks began, which consist of making the corresponding wells to be able to access the damaged pipe and pinch it».
«Firefighters are working at the scene to prevent the fire from spreading. Diego Coria, head of the Buenos Aires City Fire Department, confirmed that the gas leak and fire that occurred in the Buenos Aires neighborhood of Caballito is now «under control», while he answered questions from local residents to bring peace of mind.
The incident occurred this afternoon at the intersection of Riglos and Formosa streets, with nine evacuees counted. Currently, the City Firefighters working in the area have managed to reduce the height of the flames.
Coria stated: «The height of the flames has already decreased upon reaching the pipe. At 20 meters from the epicenter, some clamps were placed because there is no direct valve to make the cut».
Photo: Maxi Luna / Noticias Argentinas
Furthermore, the director commander confirmed that «the seriously injured person in the Burns Hospital is one of the workers who were at the construction site», which was recently learned to be from Edesur.
Coria reaffirmed that they are working with «four lines of hose» and explained: «We have the greatest impact on the parking lot facade due to the radiation generated, but in minutes we will have the total cut». «There is no risk of anything. By working with four lines we lower the temperature and contain the flames», he added.
Regarding the trigger, Coria explained: «They were probably doing some work on the sidewalk and the start of the flames was caused by one of them. A man working on the opposite sidewalk suffered burns to his upper limbs and was transferred by SAME to the Durand Hospital».
«It is already under control, for everyone's peace of mind. Due to the garage damage, they will be able to return in approximately two days. We will continue for a few more hours until we achieve the total cut. There are two motorcycles completely burned and another with partial damage. There is no danger of explosion and in the evacuation of the adjoining building, nine people were removed. We must respect certain processes by the expert team and understand the causes», he concluded.
We are seeing where the gas is going and thus trying to control it with water lines so that it does not generate so much radiation. Since it is a medium-pressure branch, the gas is not cut off because it transports it to different sectors», he highlighted.
«The next building is fine and there are no compromised cars on the public road. According to SAME, there is one injured person», they concluded. Civil Defense personnel are also on site.
