Dramatic Pipeline Fire Burns in Texas as Residents Say They Saw the Car Crash That Started It: 'Like a Bomb'
Police said an SUV drove through a Walmart parking lot's fence before it eventually "struck an above-ground pipeline valve" in Deer Park
Brett Coomer/Houston Chronicle via Getty
Flames burn from a pipeline in the 8700 block of Spencer Highway on Monday, Sept. 16, 2024 in La Porte. The La Porte Fire Department responded to a fire at 9:55 a.m. in the 8700 block of Spencer Highway, City of La Porte spokesperson Lee Woodward said in a news release. An evacuation order has been issued for residents and community members between Spencer Highway and Fairmont Parkway between Luella Boulevard and Canada Road, according to Woodward.A dramatic pipeline fire continues to light up the sky near Houston, and police say the blaze was started by a car crash.
Officials with the City of La Porte Office of Emergency Management crews responded to the scene on the 8700 block of Spencer Highway around 9:55 a.m. local time on Monday, Sept. 16.
The pipeline, owned by Energy Transfer, was already on fire as crews arrived at the scene, according to a news release from the Deer Park Police Department.
The impacted pipeline carried “natural gas liquids,” according to a statement from Energy Transfer, shared by authorities. Deer Park police said a chemical called Y Grade NGL is what is burning.
Police later announced “a white sport utility vehicle drove through a fence on the west side of Wal-Mart’s parking lot” at 9025 Spencer Highway before it “entered the adjacent pipeline right-of-way and struck an above-ground pipeline valve.”
Brett Coomer/Houston Chronicle via Getty
Emergency vehicles line Spencer Highway responding to a pipeline fire near Spencer and Summerton on Monday, Sept. 16, 2024 in La Porte. The fire caused road closures and shelter-in-place advisories Monday afternoon in the area, with evacuations to homes and businesses in the immediate area near the fire site.Bystanders Sherry and Chad Richard told ABC affiliate KRTK-TV they were headed to the Walmart and saw the crash occur. They said it was like something out of a movie.
Initially, Chad said the car caught his eye “because the car was moving so slow as we passed it.” Then, he added, “We circled around to get a parking spot, and as soon as we got a parking spot, the car just veered off.”
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Bystander Anna Lewis told the Associated Press she was walking into the same Walmart when she heard what sounded “like a bomb went off.” She said, “It scared me. … You really don’t know what to do when it’s happening.”
In its statement shared with authorities, Energy Transfer said that the line was isolated “so that the residual product in the line can safely burn itself out.”
The fire is still burning as of early Tuesday, Sept. 17, according to Deer Park police.
Brett Coomer/Houston Chronicle via Getty
Firefighters protect a neighborhood from a fire in a pipeline carrying liquified natural gas burns near Spencer Highway and Summerton on Monday, Sept. 16, 2024 in La Porte. The fire caused road closures and shelter-in-place advisories Monday afternoon in the area, with evacuations to homes and businesses within a half mile from the fire site.Harris County Pollution Control initially said there were “no detections for volatile organic compounds” in the area around the blaze.
On Sept. 17, Deer Park police said, “Air quality monitoring continues to show no impact to the air quality.”
Additionally, Energy Transfer and Harris County HazMat contracted a third-party air monitor to check San Jacinto College and both La Porte ISD campuses “to ensure the safety of students and staff,” according to La Porte emergency management.
Several roads were closed and many areas around the pipeline were evacuated, according to authorities. Some areas have since been reopened as the fire dies.
Deer Park police and local agents with the Federal Bureau of Investigations said based on their initial investigation, preliminary reports suggested there was “no terroristic activity” involved in the crash.
Chad told KTRK-TV that he believed he was an elderly woman with glasses behind the wheel of the car.
An investigation into the blaze is ongoing.
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