A gas fire continued to burn Monday morning in Nuevo Leon after a Pemex pipe exploded at 5 a.m. about 145 kilometers from the city of Monterrey.

The explosion, which occurred 30 kilometers from the city of China, ignited an area of grassy terrain about 800 meters in diameter. No deaths and no injuries were reported.

Governor Jaime Rodriguez Calderon confirmed the accident on social media and said that state, federal, and local authorities, including Civil Protection, had flown by helicopter this morning over the affected area.

Pemex officials managed to turn off the valves to stop the flow of gas to that part of the pipeline. The residual gas has been left to burn itself out. Authorities said there was no risk of the fire affecting the local population.

The explosion’s cause is currently unknown, although the area has seen several instances of illegal taps of the pipeline in the last year. The federal Attorney General’s Office will be investigating the explosion’s origin.

Members of the nearby community of Guitarritas, located five kilometers away from the scene of the explosion, reported the explosion to emergency services.

Mexico News Daily