A pipeline rupture that sparked a 2024 wildfire in west-central Alberta was caused by a crack, says a report released Thursday.

The Transportation Safety Board of Canad a (TSB) published its findings on the causes of t he rupture of a natural gas pipeline near Edson, Alta., which is located about 200 kilometres west of Edmonton.

The report says that at approximately 10:45 a.m. on April 16, 2024, a 36-inch pipeline transporting sweet natural gas ruptured around 36 kilometres northwest of Edson. It notes the pipeline was owned by Nova Gas Transmission Ltd., a subsidiary of TC Energy Corp.

An investigation determined that the pipeline rupture was caused by stress corrosion cracking resulting from a combination of soil conditions, the pipeline’s degraded protective coating and increased i

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