An explosion that rocked a gas terminal in Egypt's northern Sinai Peninsula was caused by a gas leak, according to officials.

The massive fire had initially been blamed on saboteurs responding to calls from Islamist groups to add to the political turmoil that has gripped the country for the last 12 days.

But the head of Egypt's natural gas company, Magdy Toufik, later said the fire had been caused by a gas leak.

There were no reports of casualties from the blast at the terminal in the Sinai town of El-Arish.

The explosion sent a pillar of flames leaping into the sky, but was a safe distance from the nearest homes.

The blaze was visible from rooftops in Rafah, in the Gaza Strip, about 44 miles away.

It came as a popular uprising engulfed Egypt, where anti-government protesters have been demanding the ousting of President Hosni Mubarak for the past two weeks.

The Sinai Peninsula, home to Bedouin tribesmen, has been the scene of clashes between residents and security forces. It borders both Israel and the Gaza Strip, ruled by Hamas.

The pipeline transports gas from Egypt's Port Said on the Mediterranean Sea to Israel, Syria and Jordan.

Officials said the fire was brought under control by mid-morning, after valves allowing the flow of gas from the terminal into pipelines were shut off.