By Canadian Press

Gas firm says a contractor is dead in a gas plant fire near Fort St. John, B.C.

Apr 15, 2025 | 6:01 PM

FORT ST. JOHN — A contractor has been killed and another person hurt in a fire in a gas plant north of Fort St. John, B.C.

Alberta-based Tourmaline Oil, which runs the Gundy oil and gas extraction facility in Wonowon, B.C., says the site was “immediately shut down” after the fire on Monday night.

The B.C. Energy Regulator says the fire was put out shortly after midnight Tuesday.

The company says in a statement that the injured worker was taken to hospital for treatment, and it doesn’t anticipate any further risk to the public or environment.

The regulator says in a statement that the fire started when workers struck a pipe that sparked the blaze and Tourmaline activated its emergency response plan, isolated the area and informed everyone within the area of the fire, including the local First Nations.

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The regulator’s compliance and enforcement personnel went to the site of the fire overnight, and police and WorkSafeBC are also investigating.

Tourmaline says that it is working with the appropriate authorities to ensure a full investigation is conducted into the cause of the fire.

“The plant is undamaged and remains shut in during this investigation. Tourmaline’s primary focus remains on the safety and well-being of onsite personnel and mitigating risk to the environment,” the statement says.

The company’s website says Tourmaline is Canada’s largest natural gas producer, “focused on long-term growth through an aggressive exploration, development, production and acquisition program in the Western Canadian Sedimentary Basin.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 15, 2025.

The Canadian Press

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