The surroundings of Plaça de Sants were a hive of activity with firefighters and police on Thursday morning. The incident occurred Wednesday night and has left eight injured, two seriously. The area is completely cordoned off, with closures on Carrer de Sants and Passeig de Sant Antoni, forcing residents to take alternative routes.
Barcelona Firefighters continued working on extinguishing the fire, which is expected to conclude once the gas leak is completely sealed. According to the intervention chief, Albert Ventosa, the gas supply pipes are being sealed, with three out of the four affected points already completed.
This is the third accident in public works in Barcelona or its surroundings this July, following the sinkhole at the L9 on July 9th and the collapse of a well in Montcada this Wednesday.
The Deputy Mayor for Security, Albert Batlle, announced that the City Council will request explanations from the Generalitat and the Spanish government (Adif) for these incidents. "When incidents of this nature occur, we are obliged to review all procedures," he stated.
The explosion occurred shortly after 10:00 PM, although the leak had begun in the early afternoon. A doorman from a building on Passeig de Sant Antoni described the explosion as "strong".
Some businesses could not open on Thursday, and two buildings are without gas supply. Five people, three adults and two children from Carrer de Sants, 93, have been temporarily rehoused due to the shock.
