Flare problems force evacuation of LNG site

The Canaport liquefied natural gas terminal in east Saint John was evacuated Saturday at about 12:30 p.m. AT.

Emergency crews responded to a report of a fire at the terminal, located on Red Head Road.

Fire Chief Rob Simonds said there was a problem with the flaring system used to burn off secondary gases.

The flame was three times larger than its normal size and was visible from uptown Saint John, Simonds said.

"There was a very large volume of fire coming out of the flaring system, which is an indication that there was a surge of product going through that."

Workers at the scene told CBC News the flare appeared to have gotten out of control and it created a great deal of heat. They were forced off the job for about an hour.

No one was injured.

"The notification thresholds and protocols that have been put in place have worked seamlessly," said Simonds.

 Workers cut back the fuel supply to the flare and the plant's warning system alerted emergency responders.

Four fire trucks and several police cars responded to the problem. One fire truck was expected to remain there until the flare tower cooled and ensure none of the sensors that detect emergency situations were damaged, the chief said.

Earlier in the day, hundreds of laid-off tradespeople gathered to protest being replaced by out-of-province workers at the liquefied natural gas terminal project.

Most of the protesters are union members who were laid off after building the first two enormous containment tanks at the Irving-Repsol owned terminal.