By Steve Patterson

St. Louis, MO (KSDK) - Crews with Laclede Gas are clearing debris and wreckage leftover after a gas leak fireball sent flames 40 feet in the air on Thursday.

Crews continued their work at the intersection of Delmar at Enright and Clara. They began removing a charred out backhoe and other equipment from the scene on Friday morning.

Laclede Gas says its crews were trying to find and fix a leak when the emergency incident happened.

They say they dug down to a main line where multiple gas lines intersect, but something caused a line to collapse and spring a larger leak, which set off the explosion.

People in the St. Luke's Plaza Apartments were evacuated as a precaution, but no one was injured.

Residents are still questioning how long the leak was happening before it was investigated.

KSDK