It was the first explosion of its kind off the shore of Iberia Parish and TV 10 was on scene last October when a natural gas line exploded in the West Cote Blanche bay oil field.

Now the results of the National Transportation and Safety Board's investigation into the blast have been released.

The explosion came so quickly and the flames burned so high, witnesses said it looked like fire from the pipeline explosion reached all the way up to the clouds.

After hearing that description in the field, it was no surprise that five people were killed in the accident.

10 months later, an NTSB report, confirms that death count, and lists one barge worker as still technically missing.

The report also offers insight into exactly what caused the explosion.

According to the NTSB's investigation around noon on October 12th of 2006 an uninspected towing vessel named Miss Meagan was pushing two deck barges in waters some 10 miles off Cypremort Point.

A 5 ton steel shaft was released on one of the barges and a spud on that shaft dropped into the water.  When it did, it struck a submerged, buried high pressure natural gas line.

Gas released on impact created a fireball engulfing the tow boat and both barges.

After months of simulating the accident the NTSB determined the probable cause of the accident was a failure to require barge crews to pin the spuds securely.

That allowed the sudden, unintentional release that plummeted the spud into the gas line.

Despite that tragic mistake, two people on board the water craft managed to survive.

The NTSB passed on this assessment to the US Coast Guard, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration and the companies who operated the tug boat and barges.

Click here to see a full copy of the pipeline explosion report.

Jeremy Campbell