A construction worker suffered burns to his face after he cut a natural gas line, sending a fiery “blowtorch” into the air and forcing the evacuation of a downtown Victoria office building.
A construction crew was doing renovations on the roof of the office building at 940 Blanshard St. just before 11 a.m. when a miscommunication led to one man cutting a pressurized natural gas line, said Victoria Fire battalion chief Wayne Moody.
“There was a gas explosion followed by an eight-foot blowtorch,” Moody said.
The man was treated by B.C. Ambulance paramedics for first-degree burns to his face and smoke inhalation. No one else was injured.
The workers turned off the gas line and Victoria firefighters went to the roof, putting out a small fire in the ceiling joists, Moody said.
Hundreds of office workers and people in the Central Branch of the Greater Victoria Public Library evacuated the building.
Some displaced workers were loaded onto a B.C. Transit bus and others were sent to an area of Christ Church Cathedral until firefighters declared it was safe to return to the building at 12:55 p.m.
Crews from Fortis B.C. repaired the natural gas line.
The fire caused between $50,000 to $100,000 in damage, Moody said.
- Katie DeRosa, Times Colonist
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