Gas Pipeline Rupture Sparks Major Fire on Manjambakkam Main Road near Madhavaram

A major fire erupted on Friday after an underground natural gas pipeline was accidentally ruptured during excavation work on Manjambakkam Main Road near Madhavaram.

The incident, which occurred during drilling operations by Tamil Nadu Electricity Board personnel, disrupted local traffic for nearly four hours and damaged roadside shops, public utilities, and a parked truck. Fortunately, no injuries were reported from the accident.

The accident occurred while personnel of the Tamil Nadu Electricity Board were drilling the road to lay a high-voltage underground power cable. During this operation, an earthmover accidentally struck and damaged the natural gas pipeline, which was buried about 20 feet below the ground. The damage immediately triggered a massive gas leak that quickly ignited into a large blaze.

Officials stated that the damaged pipeline is a key component of the city’s underground natural gas distribution network. This network supplies gas to households, industries, and CNG filling stations in Chennai and its suburbs. The gas distributed through this extensive underground pipeline network is sourced from liquefied natural gas (LNG) imported through the Ennore port complex.

Following the rupture, flames shot nearly 100 feet into the air, creating a challenging situation for emergency responders. Firefighters rushed to the scene and battled the blaze using a combination of water and chemical foam. However, the continuous supply of highly flammable gas from the damaged pipeline initially hampered their firefighting efforts.

The fire was successfully brought under control only after engineers from the gas distribution company reached the spot. The engineers isolated the damaged section of the pipeline by shutting down the supply valves. Once the flow of gas was cut off, the emergency teams were able to fully extinguish the fire.

Following the incident, the Madhavaram police registered a case and launched an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the pipeline damage.