Barcelona gas explosion at Plaça de Sants metro works injures 8, two seriously; flame extinguished after 12 hours

What happened

On Wednesday afternoon, a gas pipe was struck during accessibility works at the Plaça de Sants L5 metro station, causing a leak at around 14:40. No fire occurred initially, but the area was cordoned off and a nearby school closed. Hours later, at approximately 22:50, while technicians from the gas company were attempting to repair the damaged pipe, a deflagration ignited the escaping gas, producing a large flame and injuring eight workers. The exact ignition source remains under investigation.

Emergency response

Barcelona fire chief Albert Ventosa explained that crews deliberately avoided extinguishing the flame, as doing so would have allowed gas to accumulate and risk further explosions. Instead, nine fire crews used water to control the blaze while working to seal four points in the gas distribution network. The operation was complex because the urban gas grid is a mesh, requiring balloons to be inserted into multiple pipes to isolate the leak. The flame continued to burn through the night and into Thursday morning.

If we had extinguished the flame, more gas pockets would have formed and there was a danger of further deflagrations.

Fire chief Clara Latorre noted that the flame would persist until the gas flow could be stopped completely. The supply was finally cut off and the flame extinguished at around 11:10 on Thursday, more than 12 hours after the explosion.

The flow will not stop until the work to control the leak is completed. This work is complex because it involves cutting the gas distribution network at different points.

Injuries and hospitals

All eight injured are men. Two were seriously hurt and two less seriously, all taken to Hospital Vall d'Hebron. One less serious and three minor cases were transported to Hospital Clínic. Deputy mayor Albert Batlle said the injured were evolving positively. The SEM deployed eight ambulances to the scene.

Mobility disruptions

Metro lines L1 and L5 continued operating normally, but the Galileu street access to L5 was closed. The connecting corridor between the two lines had already been shut for months due to ongoing accessibility works. On the surface, Carrer de Sants was closed to traffic, forcing TMB to divert five bus lines. A special bus service for the L1 works began its route from Plaça Espanya. Authorities advised passengers to check service updates.

Investigation and reactions

Carles Vaccaro, technical director of Infraestructures, distinguished two separate causes: the initial pipe damage during metro construction, and the later deflagration during repair work by the gas company. He stressed that the second incident is the responsibility of the gas distributor. The city will demand explanations from both the regional government and the companies involved, Batlle said. PP city council leader Daniel Sirera criticised the safety record, citing a recent sinkhole on the L9 line and calling for accountability.

First the L9 sinkhole. Now a gas leak at the Sants metro works with several workers injured. Too many errors and too little control.

What happens next

With the flame out, the priority is to remove the drilling machine that remains stuck in the ground in an unstable position. A heavy-lift crane was expected to arrive Thursday afternoon. Once the machine is extracted, the security perimeter will be reduced, traffic and shop access will reopen, and gas supply to two still-affected residential blocks will be restored by Thursday night.