You're supposed to call a company so they can approve the place you want to dig in, because we run underground electricity lines, gas lines, water lines, etc. and hitting those could cause this, what looks like an explosion that spans a couple acres.
I remember seeing this several years ago on Snopes. Went back to verify, and it's still there. The pictures are from a gas line that ruptured from corrosion, not digging. Real pictures, false description. (Still, though, you should call the company before you start digging.)
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