Firefighters are battling a massive pipeline fire in suburban Houston on Monday. The fire sparked grass fires and burned power poles while threatening several homes. A giant plume of fire shot high into the air, forcing people in the surrounding neighborhood to evacuate.
The fire began at 9:55 a.m. in La Porte, about 25 miles southeast of Houston. A flaming 20-inch pipeline carrying natural gas liquids caught fire and must now burn itself out, Energy Transfer, the operator, says.
Video images showed a damaged park near the fire and firefighters pouring water on adjacent homes. Several businesses, including a Walmart, are also nearby.
In an email, Lee Woodward, a La Porte city spokesperson, said officials had ordered residents in the Brookglen neighborhood near the fire to evacuate.
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“Please avoid the area and follow law enforcement directions. Further details will be released as available,” Woodward said.
The cause of the fire was not immediately known.
There are several power lines near the fire. The website PowerOutage.us says that there are nearly 4,700 customers without power in Harris County.
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CenterPoint Energy said it is monitoring the fire, which is near Spencer Highway in LaPorte. The company said the fire “is unrelated to the company’s natural gas operations or equipment.”
“We are also cooperating with first responders. Putting safety first, the public should avoid this area until further notice from local emergency officials. When it is safe to do so, our electric crews will go into the area to assess the damage to our transmission and distribution power lines, poles and equipment and begin restoring service to impacted customers as safely and quickly as possible.”
Editor's Note: A previous AP update erroneously reported that the pipeline was carrying liquified natural gas. It is actually carrying natural gas liquids.
