Gas explosion sparks huge fire at Barcelona metro station leaving eight workers injured

An ordinary evening at one of Barcelona’s busiest transport hubs turned into a terrifying ordeal when a gas explosion ripped through the entrance to Sants metro station on Wednesday July 22, leaving eight workers injured and forcing emergency crews to battle a dangerous blaze through the night.

For the thousands of commuters, residents and businesses that rely on the station every day, the incident was a stark reminder of how quickly routine infrastructure work can become a major emergency. While passengers were not caught up in the explosion, the blast disrupted one of the city’s key transport interchanges and prompted widespread road closures as emergency services secured the area.

Gas leak led to late-night explosion

The incident happened at the entrance to Plaça de Sants station, where accessibility improvement works were being carried out on Metro Line 5.

According to emergency officials, construction workers detected a gas leak at around 2.40pm after a gas pipe was damaged during the works. Firefighters and technicians from the gas company responded immediately and spent hours trying to contain the leak and repair the damaged pipe.

At approximately 10.50pm, while repair work was still underway, a powerful gas deflagration occurred, triggering a large fire.

The explosion injured eight male workers who were operating in the area when the blast happened.

Two workers seriously hurt

Catalan emergency services confirmed that eight people were taken to hospital with injuries of varying severity.

Two workers suffered serious injuries and were transferred to Hospital Vall d’Hebron. Several others were treated for less serious injuries, while additional casualties were taken to Hospital Clínic for medical care. Authorities later said the injured workers were progressing positively.

Emergency services deployed multiple ambulances alongside Barcelona Fire Brigade crews, police officers and specialist gas engineers to deal with the incident.

Fire allowed to burn safely

Although the explosion itself was quickly brought under control, the large flame remained burning for several hours.

Firefighters explained that extinguishing the fire immediately could have allowed unburned gas to accumulate, increasing the risk of another explosion. Instead, crews cooled the surrounding area while engineers worked to isolate and shut off the damaged gas supply, allowing the flame to burn safely until the leak could be sealed.

Roads around Plaça de Sants remained closed overnight, bus routes were diverted and nearby residents were advised to stay away from balconies while emergency operations continued. One entrance to the metro station was also closed as a precaution.

Investigation underway

The exact cause of the explosion remains under investigation.

Barcelona city officials have said they will seek explanations from those responsible for the construction project, while investigators examine how the damaged gas pipe led to the late-night blast despite emergency intervention earlier in the day. Authorities continue to assess the incident as work begins to restore the area to normal.