A gas pipeline exploded in the suburbs of Omsk, Russia, early on the morning of 18 November, sparking a massive fire that sent a fireball into the sky, according to regional governor Vitaly Khotsenko.
The incident occurred around 5 am near the village of Rostovka in Omsk district. Videos of the blaze began circulating on social media shortly after, showing flames erupting from a field.
"In the area of the village of Rostovka in Omsk district, a fire broke out in a field. There are no casualties. One version suggests a gas leak from a pipeline," Khotsenko wrote in his initial statement.
The governor later updated his post, clarifying that "the ignition of the pipe was the result of an accident that occurred on an underground section of the main branch pipeline."
According to SHOT, a Russian Telegram channel, residents in Rostovka reported a chemical smell in the air. The outlet said that 18 firefighters and 4 units of equipment were deployed to the scene.
Law enforcement agencies are investigating the cause of the incident, Khotsenko said. Emergency service specialists continue to work at the site.
This explosion follows a series of incidents affecting Russian energy infrastructure in recent months. On 2 August, the Central Asia–Center main gas pipeline failed in Russia's Volgograd oblast following explosions near the village of Dynamivske, sources told RBC-Ukraine. On 9 September, a series of explosions in Penza disabled a main oil pipeline and a regional gas pipeline.
The Orenburg Gas Processing Plant experienced a large-scale fire, while the Astrakhan Gas Processing Plant, controlled by Gazprom, halted production on 22 September after a drone attack.
The night before the Omsk incident, on 17-18 November, drones struck energy infrastructure in occupied Donetsk and other cities in the region, according to local Telegram channels. The attacks targeted the Zuivska thermal power plant in Zuhres and the Starobeshivska thermal power station, leaving Donetsk, Makiivka, and Ilovaisk without power.
