A section of a main gas pipeline near Kizilyurt in Russia's Dagestan region has been shut down following a large fire incident on Tuesday, according to a statement by the regional administration.
The fire was fully extinguished by emergency responders around 7:40 p.m. GMT on Tuesday and no injuries or casualties were reported.
The gas pipeline, owned by Gazprom Transgaz Makhachkala, has been shut down, with about 29 kilometers of the section isolated, following the incident, which resulted in flares reaching a height of up to 15 meters, according to Russian news agency TASS.
Denying reports of a sabotage, Kizilyurt Mayor Said Mamatkhanov in a post on Telegram said a technical malfunction has been identified as the preliminary cause of the incident, the report said.
According to a post on the Kizilyurt administration's website, the fire occurred on a section of the main gas pipeline between Gelbach and Bavtugay, and led to the evacuation of residents from nearby houses.
The incident led to halt in gas supply in the city of Kizilyurt, Kizilyurt district, Kumtorkalinsky district, and partially in Makhachkala city, the website noted.
has reached out to Mayor Mamatkhanov's office separately for a comment.