Current:Home > StocksWhat to know about the pipeline fire burning for a third day in Houston’s suburbs-Angel Dreamer Wealth Society D1 Reviews & Insights
What to know about the pipeline fire burning for a third day in Houston’s suburbs
View Date:2024-12-23 17:10:26
DEER PARK, Texas (AP) — A pipeline fire that forced hundreds of people to flee their homes in the Houston suburbs burned for a third day on Wednesday, with no official timeline for when it might finally be extinguished.
Authorities have offered few details about what prompted the driver of an SUV to hit an above ground valve on the pipeline on Monday, sparking the blaze.
Here are some things to know about the situation with the pipeline fire:
What caused the fire?
Officials say the underground pipeline, which runs under high-voltage power lines in a grassy corridor between a Walmart and a residential neighborhood in Deer Park, was damaged when the SUV driver left the store’s parking lot, entered the wide grassy area and went through a fence surrounding the valve equipment.
Authorities have offered few details on what caused the vehicle to hit the pipeline valve, the identity of the driver or what happened to them. The pipeline company on Wednesday called it an accident. Deer Park officials said preliminary investigations by police and FBI agents found no evidence of a terrorist attack.
Deer Park police won’t be able to reach the burned-out vehicle until the flame has been extinguished. Once the area is safe, the department will be able to continue its investigation and confirm specifics, city spokesperson Kaitlyn Bluejacket said in an email Wednesday.
The valve equipment appears to have been protected by a chain-link fence topped with barbed wire. The pipeline’s operator has not responded to questions about any other safety protections that were in place.
Who is responsible for the pipeline?
Energy Transfer is the Dallas-based owner of the pipeline, a 20-inch-wide conduit that runs for miles through the Houston area.
It carries natural gas liquids through the suburbs of Deer Park and La Porte, both of which are southeast of Houston. Energy Transfer said the fire had diminished overnight and was continuing to “safely burn itself out” on Wednesday.
Energy Transfer also built the Dakota Access Pipeline, which has been at the center of protests and legal battles. The company’s executive chairman, Kelcy Warren, has given millions of dollars in campaign contributions to Republican Texas Gov. Greg Abbott.
What’s being done to extinguish the fire?
Energy Transfer said its crews were working Wednesday to install specialized isolation equipment on both sides of the damaged section that will help extinguish the fire.
Once the equipment is installed, which could take several hours of welding, the isolated section of the pipeline will be purged with nitrogen, which will extinguish the fire, company and local officials said. After that, damaged components can be repaired.
“The safest way to manage this process is to let the products burn off,” Energy Transfer said.
How have residents been impacted?
Authorities evacuated nearly 1,000 homes at one point and ordered people in nearby schools to shelter in place. Hundreds of customers lost power. Officials said Wednesday that only 30 customers remained without electricity in the Deer Park and La Porte area.
Deer Park’s statement said Energy Transfer was “prioritizing the safety of the community and environment as it implements its emergency response plan.”
By late Tuesday, about 400 evacuees remained, and some expressed frustration over being forced to quickly flee and not being given any timeline for when they will be able to return.
“We literally walked out with the clothes on our backs, the pets, and just left the neighborhood with no idea where we were going,” said Kristina Reff, who lives near the fire. “That was frustrating.”
What about pollution from the fire?
Energy Transfer and Harris County officials have said that air quality monitoring shows no immediate risk to individuals, despite the huge tower of billowing flame that shot hundreds of feet into the air, creating thick black smoke that hovered over the area.
Houston is the nation’s petrochemical heartland and is home to a cluster of refineries and plants and thousands of miles of pipelines. Explosions and fires are a familiar sight, and some have been deadly, raising recurring questions about industry efforts to protect the public and the environment.
___
Follow Juan A. Lozano: https://twitter.com/juanlozano70
veryGood! (925)
Related
- Why Kathy Bates Decided Against Reconstruction Surgery After Double Mastectomy for Breast Cancer
- Shaquille O'Neal 'was in a funk' after retiring from NBA; deejaying as Diesel filled void
- Climate change is moving vampire bat habitats and increasing rabies risk, study shows
- UN human rights official is alarmed by sprawling gang violence in Haiti
- KFC sues Church's Chicken over 'original recipe' fried chicken branding
- Heidi Klum's 2023 Halloween: Model dresses as a peacock, plus what happened inside
- 3-month-old found dead after generator emitted toxic gas inside New Orleans home, police say
- Deion Sanders on theft of players' belongings: 'Who robs the Rose Bowl?'
- Off the Grid: Sally breaks down USA TODAY's daily crossword puzzle, Mixed Use
- AP PHOTOS: Israeli families of hostages taken to Gaza caught between grief and hope as war rages on
Ranking
- Special counsel Smith asks court to pause appeal seeking to revive Trump’s classified documents case
- Giant of the Civil Rights Movement Medgar Evers deserves Medal of Freedom, lawmakers say
- Two Massachusetts residents claim $1 million from different lottery games
- What is candy corn made of? Inside the Halloween candy everyone loves to hate
- It's Red Cup Day at Starbucks: Here's how to get your holiday cup and cash in on deals
- Francis Lawrence Reveals Hunger Games & Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes Casts' Connection
- Live updates | Foreign passport holders enter Rafah crossing
- Samuel Adams Utopias returns: Super-strong beer illegal in 15 states available again
Recommendation
-
When do new episodes of 'Cobra Kai' Season 6 come out? Release date, cast, where to watch
-
Eruption of Eurasia’s tallest active volcano sends ash columns above a Russian peninsula
-
Mississippi gubernatorial contenders Reeves and Presley will have 1 debate to cap a tough campaign
-
Robert De Niro lashes out in court at ex-personal assistant who sued him: 'Shame on you!'
-
'I heard it and felt it': Chemical facility explosion leaves 11 hospitalized in Louisville
-
Mad Dog Russo, Arizona Diamondbacks' Torey Lovullo 'bury hatchet' at World Series
-
The FBI director warns about threats to Americans from those inspired by the Hamas attack on Israel
-
A media freedom group accuses Israel and Hamas of war crimes and reports deaths of 34 journalists