Thousands of residents from the community of La Porte, 30 minutes east of Houston, were evacuated, sheltered in place, or lost power after a pipeline owned by Energy Transfer erupted into flames Monday morning.

Preliminary investigations indicate that the incident started Monday morning when a white SUV crashed through the fence surrounding the pipeline’s right-of-way and hit a surface-level valve, according to a statement from the City of Deer Park Office for Emergency Management issued Monday evening.

“The investigation is ongoing, including the positive identification of the vehicle and driver,” said the statement, adding that authorities believe this “to be an isolated incident.”

UPDATE on the Vehicle Accident Related to the Deer Park Major Pipeline Fire:https://t.co/Dqq1V9pqEb pic.twitter.com/ikPKvf4ExM

— DeerParkOEM (@deerparkoem) September 16, 2024

Energy Transfer had said that they were “aware of early reports indicating that an unknown passenger car entered our right-of-way and struck the valve location.”

The fire prompted power outages for about 1,500 CenterPoint customers, the evacuation of the Brooklyn neighborhood area near Spencer Highway and a shelter-in-place order for San Jacinto College Central Campus. The plume of flames was visible for several miles around.

Energy Transfer said the fire involved a 20-inch liquid natural gas pipeline containing a substance called Y Grade NGL, a mix of chemicals including ethane and propane gases. These chemicals are harmful to the environment by polluting the air and contributing to global warming. 

The company added that the line has been isolated so the residual product can burn out. 

“Air monitoring equipment is in the process of being set up in the area. We will continue to release details as they become available,” said the company in a statement.

First responders from Deer Park handled the fire’s west side, while responders from La Porte handled the east. Houstonians were urged to avoid the area. 

At a press conference Monday afternoon, the mayor of the City of Deer Park, Jerry Mouton, said they did not yet know the reason for the fire and refused to speculate until the investigation is completed. 

“[Energy Transfer] shut the pipeline down and until all that product that is inside the pipeline is burned off, it’ll be hours, if not until tonight or tomorrow, before it goes out,” Mouton said. “We’re just going to have to wait.” 

Evacuation and shelter-in-place orders were in effect since Monday morning for H-E-B, Walmart, Heritage Elementary School, College Park Elementary School and th James H. Baker Sixth Grade Campus in the La Porte area. Evacuees can head to the Jimmy Burke Activity Center on West 13th Street and Faithbridge Street on Center Street for temporary reunification sites. 

Deer Park Assistant Police Chief Frank Hart said about 50 houses in the immediate area were evacuated. However, he said far more homes were impacted by power outages. 

Harris County Pollution Control was also on the scene. 

In a statement, CenterPoint Energy said the company is monitoring the incident and cooperating with first responders but that the fire is “not related to the company’s natural gas operations or equipment.” 

“When it is safe to do so, our natural gas and electric crews will go into the area to perform safety inspections of our natural gas assets and to also assess the damage to our transmission and distribution power lines, poles, and equipment,” CenterPoint Energy media relations said. 

Republish This Story

Republish our articles for free, online or in print.