Firefighters in St. Louis (11 images)

St. Louis fire captain Bryan Radley waits for orders as he watches a fire after a Laclede Gas Company crew using a backhoe broke a gas line in St. Louis on July 12, 2012. When firefighters arrived to investigate a gas leak, something ignited the gas, sparking the inferno. Neither the firefighters nor the four Laclede Gas workers on the scene were injured. Flames shot over 40 feet into the air for several hours while Laclede crews worked to shut off the natural gas supply. UPI/Bill Greenblatt

St. Louis firefighters discuss a plan of attack after a Laclede Gas Company crew using a backhoe broke a gas line in St. Louis on July 12, 2012. When firefighters arrived to investigate a gas leak, something ignited the gas, sparking the inferno. Neither the firefighters nor the four Laclede Gas workers on the scene were injured. Flames shot over 40 feet into the air for several hours while Laclede crews worked to shut off the natural gas supply. UPI/Bill Greenblatt

A St. Louis firefighter adjusts a master stream in an effort to protect an exposure after a Laclede Gas Company crew using a backhoe broke a gas line in St. Louis on July 12, 2012. When firefighters arrived to investigate a gas leak, something ignited the gas, sparking the inferno. Neither the firefighters nor the four Laclede Gas workers on the scene were injured. Flames shot over 40 feet into the air for several hours while Laclede crews worked to shut off the natural gas supply. UPI/Bill Greenblatt