Texas suburb evacuated after pipeline explosion, fire

A natural gas pipeline explosion prompted evacuations in a city suburb southwest of Houston mid-morning on Monday. Firefighters battled a pillar of fire hundreds of feet into the air, while also dousing nearby homes ignited by the flame. One witness described hearing a loud bang and something bright orange appear behind their house, according to reporting by the Associated Press.

Local authorities implemented evacuations and shelter-in-place orders for nearby areas as emergency services continued dousing flames from the grass and buildings surrounding the exploded pipe. Authorities in the city of Deer Park are handling the west side of the fire, while officials with the city of La Porte take the east side. Over a dozen units from the Houston Fire Department are on scene, the office said. Authorities confirmed that liquid natural gas was the burning material in a Monday afternoon press release.

What caused the explosion? Dallas-based Energy Transfer owns the 20-inch pipeline located along Spencer Highway. The company isolated the line to allow the residual gas to burn itself out but does not know how long it will keep burning, according to a company statement shared with WORLD. Energy Transfer did receive reports of a passenger car striking the valve location, the statement added. No injuries have been reported and air monitoring equipment is being set up in the area, Energy Transfer said.