Dramatic Footage Shows Flames Coming Out of Suburban Oil Pipeline

Residents of a Houston suburb were evacuated and major roads and businesses were closed after an oil pipeline caught fire in the Deer Park and La Porte, TX, areas just before 10 a.m. Monday. The fire was still burning in the afternoon, and authorities said it could take until Tuesday to bring the blaze under control.

The local Spencer Highway was closed in both directions Monday, and areas around a nearby Walmart and HEB grocery store were closed to traffic. More than 700 customers in the area were also without power, and evacuated residents were unable to return to their homes because of the heat from the flames.

In the chilling video circulating online, emergency response teams trying to control the intense flames rising hundreds of metres high said one firefighter was injured and was being treated for minor injuries.

“The fire is contained to a certain extent, but it will take several hours for the crop to burn away,” Deer Park Mayor Jerry Mouton Jr. said in a statement.

The cause of the fire is currently under investigation, but oil and gas expert Bob Cavnar said: Click2Houston It was stated that the fire may have been caused by a primitive line, possibly a mechanical failure.

“The appearance of the fire, the smoke, looks like a product or a raw line, not natural gas. Natural gas doesn't tend to burn that dirty,” Cavnar said. “They should be able to shut down the pipeline. I'm not sure why it's been going on for so long if they're having trouble getting to the terminal valves.”

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I hope everyone is okay. I know there are several homes and schools in the area. @KPRC 2 Click2Houston #deerpark #laporte #fire

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Energy Transfer, the company that owns the pipeline, reported that the fire started in a valve station in the 20-inch natural gas liquid pipeline.

“This morning in La Porte, Texas, we experienced an incident that resulted in a fire at a valve station for a 20-inch natural gas liquid line on Spencer Highway,” the statement said. KHOU 11 News“No injuries have been reported at this time. The LaPorte Fire Department has evacuated all homes and businesses on scene and within a half-mile radius. The line has been isolated so that residual product in the line can be safely burned off.”

“We do not currently have a timeline for how long this process will take, but we are working closely with local authorities,” the statement continued. “We are aware of early reports that an unknown passenger vehicle has entered our right-of-way and struck valuable ground. Air monitoring equipment is in the process of being installed in the area. We will continue to post details as they become available.”

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