The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) has added two more constables to its Dawson Creek, BC, investigations team following two more bombings along EnCana Corp. natural gas pipeline sites.

A pipeline blast last Wednesday damaged a gas wellhead near Pouce Coupe, which is south of Dawson Creek (see Daily GPI, July 6). Crews were repairing the damage when the second blast occurred in the same area on Saturday, officials said. EnCana was able to shut the pipeline Saturday with no injuries and minimal damage, officials said.

“With the first bombing, the gas leak has been stopped and the well is under control,” said EnCana spokesman Brian Lieverse. “The one that happened on July 4 was on a pipeline, and the pipeline is shut down and depressured. All of the safety devices on the pipeline worked according to procedure…”

RCMP said it has no leads in the attacks, but the incidents are said to be similar to four previous bombings on EnCana pipelines that occurred in late 2008 and early January (see Daily GPI, Jan. 14).

“You’ve got a sparsely populated rural area with approximately five to six acreage properties in a radius around these two,” said RCMP spokesman Dan Moskaluk. The RCMP was “encouraged” following the Saturday incident because a member of the community notified authorities soon after it occurred. “What that did for us was letting us get to the site really quickly, securing a fresh scene, not letting a scene get contaminated or evidence eradicated.”

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