DEER PARK, Texas — A liquid natural gas pipeline fire broke out in Deer Park on Monday, causing evacuations and a massive emergency response. Hours later, city officials explained how it happened.
It started just before 10 a.m. at a valve station along Spencer Highway near East Boulevard. At 6:16 p.m. Monday, Deer Park officials sent out a news release that shed light on how the fire started.
In the release, officials said a white SUV drove through a fence on the west side of Walmart's parking lot and entered the pipeline right-of-way. They said the vehicle hit an above-ground valve. Officials with Dallas-based Energy Transfer, which owns the pipeline, said they turned off the flow to the ruptured line and were waiting for the remnants to burn off.
Authorities said an investigation will begin once the fire is out and they can get closer to the scene. City officials said a preliminary investigation suggested no terroristic activity connected to the crash. They said it appeared to be an isolated incident and they were working to identify the driver and the vehicle. They also said part of the investigation was to identify the driver and the vehicle.
You can read the full statement sent below.
As of 1:30 p.m., officials said the fire was under control and they were waiting for the rest of the natural gas to burn off.
Deer Park officials said four people were injured in the fire and two of them were taken to area hospitals for treatment.
The fire forced roads to be closed and some residents were told to leave their homes due to the dangerous heat being put out by the fire. Several nearby homes and a park appeared to have sustained damage from the fire, according to scene video from Air 11.
Deer Park Mayor Jerry Mouton Jr. said the fire could continue through the night and into Tuesday but he wasn't exactly sure how long it would take for the natural gas to burn off.
"It'll be hours -- if not into tonight or tomorrow," he said.
Here's an update Mouton Jr. gave around 1:30 p.m.
KHOU 11 Investigative Reporter Jeremy Rogalski found out that the initial 911 call came in from a liquor store across the street from where the fire was burning. The owner of the liquor store said he saw a vehicle in flames alongside the towering fireball.
Anyone who was affected by the fire and needs help should call the Energy Transfer helpline at 855-430-4491.
Here's the full Energy Transfer statement:
"We experienced an incident this morning in La Porte, Texas, at a valve station along Spencer Highway for a 20” natural gas liquids line that resulted in a fire. There are no reports of injuries at this time. The LaPorte Fire Department is on the scene and has evacuated all homes and businesses within a half mile of the incident site. The line has been isolated so that the residual product in the line can safely burn itself out. We have no timeline at this point on how long that process will take, but we are working closely with local authorities. We are aware of early reports indicating that an unknown passenger car entered our right-of-way and struck the valve location. Air monitoring equipment is in the process of being set up in the area. We will continue to release details as they become available."