Following explosion some customers could be without natural gas for days
Willow River Pipeline Explosion
(Carlton County Fire News)
(Carlton County Fire News)
PINE COUNTY, Min. – Minnesota Energy Resources says some of their customers in and around Willow River and Sturgeon Lake could be without natural gas for days following a pipeline explosion in Pine County. Minnesota Energy Resources say about 500 customers will be affected by the outage.
The explosion happened around 1:45pm on January 16, 2026. Due to the type of damage, service may not be fully restored for several days. Minnesota Energy Resources is bringing in crews from across the state and extra contractors to help with the restoration effort.
The transmission pipeline that serves the Minnesota Energy Resources system in that area was damaged.
It was a Northern Natural Gas pipe that experienced the explosion.
Northern Natural Gas Deputy General Counsel Britany Shotkoski tells FOX21, “The site of the incident has been secured, and this section of the pipeline system has been isolated. No injuries occurred and no threat to public safety currently exists.” She added, “Northern Natural Gas is coordinating with authorities and is investigating the cause of the incident to safely restore service. We expect to begin repairs to the system later [Friday]”.
Kat Barrett with the Minnesota Department of Public Safety tells FOX21 members of the Minnesota Office of Pipeline Safety and State Fire Marshal divisions are responding to assist with the investigation.
The cause of the explosion was not immediately released, but the Pine County Sheriff’s Office tells FOX21, “Nothing criminal is suspected at this time.”
Willow River Explosion (Carlton County Fire News)
(Carlton County Fire News)
