St. Louis firefighters stand by during gas line break

A backhoe sits consumed by fire with flames jumping 30-50 feet in the air after a Laclede Gas Company crew 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