Several drivers in rural Virginia felt the heat this week after a natural gas pipeline exploded, creating a massive fireball off the side of I-81.


On Tuesday, a portion of the Columbia Gas Transmission Pipeline near Strasburg, Virginia burst into flames. Though the section of the pipeline was quickly shut down, per Natural gas company TC Energy, the sky-high blaze was enough to terrify drivers heading down the east-coast interstate.



“I could feel the heat and pressure from it,” Jordan Morgan, a Virginian who witnessed the explosion while driving to work, told the Associated Press. “I’ve never experienced anything like that.”


Morgan wasn’t alone in marveling at the explosion. The harrowing videos of massive flames billowing over the treetops quickly went viral, captivating — and terrifying — social media.


“Somebody didn't call before they dug,” joked @BRAINKRIEG1990.


“Air quality ‘bouta down for another month,” predicted @friskmegooddd.


Meanwhile, @k_aye_laa began speculating if the huge tower of flames meant we had finally entered the end times.


“This looks like the spawn of satan, when should we start our goodbyes?” they wrote.


Fortunately for @k_aye_laa, the answer is not any time soon. TC Energy confirmed that the massive fire had been snuffed as of Tuesday afternoon. No injuries were reported.


Moral of the story? Keep your matches away from gas pipelines — no matter how badass the resulting explosion may look.