A huge explosion at a gas pipeline that forced the evacuation of a village in northern Lithuania was likely caused by a technical malfunction, Nemunas Biknius, head of AB Amber Grid, which operates the country's gas transportation system, said on Saturday, AP reports.

As a result of the explosion on Friday night, the flame rose to 50 meters into the sky, reports the media.

No injuries were reported, but about 250 people were evacuated from the nearby village of Valakeliai as a precautionary measure. The fire was extinguished by midnight, and residents returned to their homes Saturday as repairs began on the damaged pipeline.

The pipeline delivers gas from the Baltic port of Klaipeda to the neighboring Latvia. The adjacent pipeline was not damaged and continued to supply gas to customers in the area, AB Amber Grid said.

Lithuania completely stopped importing Russian gas in April 2022 in response to the conflict in Ukraine. The Baltic country imports gas from several countries through the Klaipeda liquefied natural gas terminal, built ten years ago. The terminal meets all of Lithuania's natural gas needs and allows for deliveries to neighboring countries.