DEER PARK, Texas — Shortly after a massive pipeline fire broke out in Deer Park on Monday morning, firefighters got to work doing their best to protect homes near the fire.
The intense heat proved to be too much for at least five of those homes. Homeowners are in the worst of it right now -- the waiting phase.
There is no timeline on when they could be allowed back into their homes because the fire is still too strong.
The sights and sounds tell the story in Deer Park. The city is just 15 minutes southeast of Houston.
"I’m just trying to survive right now," Hattie said.
Hattie and her family live only a few hundred feet from where the fire started. Homes in the area were left warped from the heat’s strength.
Now they’re one of several families in the town of 33,000 racing to gather what they can and get to safety.
"I got a broken foot, broken wrist but I’m doing the best I can. We feel all of the movement and the heat over here,” Hattie said.
The movement and heat are exactly what Orlando Oliver feels, too.
"I’m hopeful that it won’t do any further damage, however, I’m not a structural engineer," Oliver said.
Oliver’s home is inside the evacuation zone and said it got warmer and louder the closer he got.
"Within the house, it sounded like a plane was trying to land," Oliver said.
Oliver said he wasn’t sure when he would be allowed to return home and gathered what he could before leaving.
"I did not find out about this until lunchtime at work when my wife called and was in complete shock. She said put on KHOU," Oliver said.
Crews were working around the clock to try and save the homes closest to the flames. For Jeff Linhart, it has become a wait-and-see game.
"This is something we hoped would never happen," Linhart said.
Linhart said one of his friends in the neighborhood is in the area closest to the flames.
"He sent me a picture of his truck. He hopped in his truck and left and as he was leaving the back of his truck just started melting," Linhart said.
Linhart said his friend was told by officials that he wouldn’t be able to take a look at the damage to his home for at least a few days.
When we spoke with him Monday afternoon, he seemingly already knew the home would be considered a total loss.