Officials said the pipeline has since been shut off, but they don’t expect the fire to stop until all the residual product in the pipeline has burned off, which could take hours and possibly even until the following day, Sept. 17.
What happened
On Sept. 16 at 9:55 a.m., La Porte Fire Department was dispatched to a pipeline fire in the 8700 block of Spencer Highway, according to a social media post from the city.
The pipeline is owned by Energy Transfer, which shut down the portion of the pipeline that caught fire, according to a social media post from the Railroad Commission of Texas, who dispatched safety inspectors to investigate the incident.
While the cause of the explosion has not yet been released, Deer Park Fire Department confirmed in a news release that the chemical burning is liquid natural gas.
Evacuations were ordered for the surrounding businesses and schools within half a mile of the incident, officials said. Deer Park Mayor Jerry Mouton said at a press conference those evacuated included H-E-B, Walmart, and Heritage Elementary and College Park Elementary, which are both within La Porte ISD. Shelter-in-place orders were given for James H. Baker Sixth Grade Campus and San Jacinto College.
Frank Hart, assistant police chief for the Deer Park Fire Department, estimated that around 50 homes in the area had been evacuated.
Deer Park Emergency Services Director Jamie Galloway confirmed that grass fires caused by the explosion had been contained.
“The fire is very hot,” Mouton said at the press conference. “A lot of the house structures that are adjacent to that are still catching fire even though we’re putting a lot of water on them to try to control that.”
The Jimmy Burke Activity Center, located at 500 W. 13th St., Deer Park, and Faithbridge Church, located at 4711 Center St., Deer Park, have been set up as sheltering centers for those affected, according to a news release from the city of Deer Park Office of Emergency Management.
Hart confirmed that one firefighter had been treated for minor injuries.
What you need to know
In Deer Park, eastbound and westbound traffic was closed on Spencer Highway, along with southbound traffic on East Boulevard toward Spencer Highway, according to a social media post from Deer Park Police Department.
In a social media post, La Porte Independent School District confirmed that all students were safe and were remaining indoors as a precaution. However, bus routes in the areas affected by evacuations would be canceled, and the district would contact parents to arrange pickup of their students.
What else?
The explosion happened near land owned by CenterPoint Energy, but the company said the explosion was unrelated to its natural gas operations or equipment, according to a social media post.
“Once we are advised that it is safe to do so, our electric crews will begin assessing damage to our transmission and distribution infrastructure, including power lines, poles and equipment and begin restoring service to impacted customers as safely and quickly as possible,” CenterPoint Energy said in the post.
