A home in Victoria was nearly engulfed in flames Friday afternoon after a natural gas leak turned into what firefighters described as a “blowtorch” aimed directly at the house.
Fire crews were first called out just before 4 p.m. for reports of a gas smell on Blackwood Street. As they were gearing up to respond, the situation escalated and was upgraded to a structure fire.
When firefighters arrived, they encountered an unusual and dangerous scene—a high-pressure natural gas line had been severed and ignited, sending flames shooting toward the house like a blowtorch.
The fire produced intense heat and a roaring sound, but no smoke, since no ordinary materials had yet caught fire.
Fire crews quickly moved to protect the home, setting up water lines to cool it down and prevent ignition. Their fast response is being credited with saving the residence from what could have been a catastrophic fire.
Firefighters allowed the gas to burn for about 90 minutes while waiting for FortisBC crews to arrive and safely shut off the gas line.
The utility’s technicians were delayed by heavy traffic but were eventually able to clamp the line and stop the flow.
To limit further damage, fire crews also diverted water away from the house to avoid flooding and monitored nearby homes for runoff issues.
It’s still unclear what caused the leak or what initially ignited the gas, but officials say the outcome would have been far worse without the fast action of first responders.
The fire department thanked FortisBC, VicPD, BC Hydro, and BC Emergency Health Services for their support during the incident.
