Houston Chronicle
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Sep. 16—An investigation is ongoing after a pipeline caught on fire Monday in La Porte, near Spencer Highway. Emergency responders started working Monday morning to extinguish the flames that officials said could keep burning for hours.
An incident at a valve station for a 20" natural gas liquids line resulted in a fire, Energy Transfer representatives said in a statement. Deer Park Mayor Jerry Mouton Jr. said the fire could burn for up to 24 hours.
The pipeline, located near the border between Deer Park, La Porte and Pasadena, is owned by Energy Transfer, according to a statement from the company and emergency officials. Mouton said the impacted area covers a half-mile radius around the fire, with half in La Porte and half in Deer Park.
The La Porte Fire Department responded to the fire at 9:55 a.m. in the 8700 block of Spencer Highway, city of La Porte spokesperson Lee Woodward said in a release. Deer Park OEM also went to the scene, setting up a mobile command post at East Boulevard and Spencer Highway. Harris County Pollution Control Services arrived following emissions complaints Monday morning.
The Harris County Fire Marshal's Office and the American Red Cross are assisting at the scene.
" The La Porte Fire Department is on the scene and has evacuated all homes and businesses within a half mile of the incident site. The line has been isolated so that the residual product in the line can safely burn itself out. We have no timeline at this point on how long that process will take, but we are working closely with local authorities," Energy Transfer representatives said in the statement.
Soot in the air
The clouds of black smoke that spread over La Porte and Deer Park during the pipeline fire sparked fears about the soot spewing from the blaze.
Harris County Pollution Control Services monitored pollution in the area since late morning. They checked for both particulate pollution and volatile organic compounds using hand-held sensors, a rapid ambient air monitoring vehicle and two stationary sensors.
Department spokesperson Kayla Roman said that particulate matter was the "pollutant of concern" for the incident, based on their testing so far. She added that the pollution levels they found were "moderate and not an immediate risk for healthy populations," though "sensitive populations may want to take precautions."
Soot, also known as particulate matter, is composed of fine particles that can irritate the eyes, nose, and throat. Particulate matter can also worsen existing lung conditions and increase the risk of heart attacks and strokes.
The department is considering a plan to continue monitoring pollution in the area after the fire has been put out. — Rebekah Ward
Mayor: Pipeline could burn into Tuesday
Deer Park Mayor Jerry Mouton, Jr. said Monday afternoon that there is no timeline for when the fire may be extinguished, as the gas in the pipeline could take anywhere from a few hours to 24 hours to burn off.
He said responding agencies are "going to make some hard decisions" with people returning home from work.
"There are some houses that are in proximity (to the fire) that residents can't figure out if they can go back there. I don't know what we are going to tell them. There are some areas where we're not going to let people in."
Mouton said emergency responders have been clear that it's just too hot to go back into some areas near the fire.
He said some people who were at Walmart and H-E-B when the fire started were taken to the Jimmy Burke Activity Center in Deer Park to wait for their families, because "in most cases they couldn't go out to their cars and leave."
Mouton said he expects some cars in the Walmart parking lot will be damaged or perhaps even melted by the fire. "It's that hot."
Reports of burning cars and homes were also confirmed by representatives with Harris County Pollution Control Services, who didn't say how extensive the damage was. Spokeswoman Kayla Roman said the burned buildings and vehicles released particulate matter that might have been inhaled by people in the area.
Air monitoring teams remained in the area on Monday evening, Roman said
Mouton, meanwhile, said people in impacted areas will need to a place to stay in the short term. "The quicker the fire is put out then we can figure out the next step.
My focus is protecting the life and property the best of our ability and we'll get get through this like we do everything else" — Yvette Orozco, Rebekah Ward
At least four injured in fire, response
The number of people injured during Monday's fire has increased to four, according to the city of Deer Park. Two of the injuries were due directly to the fire, and two more were heat-related, Kaitlyn Bluejacket said.
It was unclear if the injured people were all first responders. Earlier in the day, La Porte officials said a Pasadena Fire Department employee was injured "on an issue adjacent to the main issue." The Pasadena Volunteer Fire Department didn't immediately respond to questions about the status of that employee. — John Wayne Ferguson
Claims line opened
Energy Transfer, the company that owns the burning gas line, has opened a claims line for people forced out of their homes because of the emergency.
People who have evacuated from Luella Boulevard to Canada Road and from south of Spencer Highway to Oakhaven/ Eagle Run, can call 855-430-4491, for information about overnight lodging expenses and other reimbursement, according to the La Porte Office of Emergency Management.
People who call the phone number will be asked for their name, phone number, address and what kind of assisatance they need, according to Energy Transfer. Phone calls will be returned "promptly," the company said. — John Wayne Ferguson
Evacuation area reduced in La Porte
In an update just before 3 p.m., La Porte officials announced they had reduced the size of the evacuation area created because of the pipeline fire.
The southern boundary of the evacuation fire is now Oakhaven Road and Eagle Run Street, the city said in a release.
Earlier evacuation orders had stretched all the way to Fairmont Parkway.
The current evacuation area is from Luella Drive east to Canada Road, and from Spencer Highway south to Oakhaven/ Eagle Run.
The city also announced another reunification site at City of La Porte's SPORT Center at 1302 S. Broadway.
Evacuees with animals should contact the City of La Porte's Animal Shelter at 10901 Spencer Highway or 281-842-3700, the city said. — John Wayne Ferguson
4-6 homes have some damage, Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo says
Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo said there were reports of a four to six homes that had "structural damage" due to the pipeline fire. She is returning to the county during a pre-planned trip to see a sick friend.
She said the Harris County Office of Homeland Security & Emergency Management has issued an activation 3 for increased readiness in the area. The Harris County Pollution Control Services will monitor the air and CenterPoint Energy is working to restore some of their customers' power, according to Hidalgo.
" Harris County is doing everything we can to keep residents safe and support first responders during this incident," she wrote in a statement. "Thank you to the first responders who are helping to respond to this incident." — Octavia Johnson
La Porte ISD bus transfer changes amid pipeline fire
The La Porte ISD students who live in affected areas will not be taken home by bus, the school district officials said on social media. The officials said they were working to call parents to arrange for pickup for those students at the end of the school day.
La Porte ISD spokesperson Adam Holland sent an email to the Chronicle saying students at some schools in the affected area remained indoors as a precaution. No schools were evacuated. — Octavia Johnson
Evacuation order issued
An evacuation order has been issued for residents and community members between Spencer Highway and Fairmont Parkway between Luella Boulevard and Canada Road, Woodward said. The city officials also said the order would be issued for nearby areas, including HEB, Walmart, Heritage Elementary, College Park Elementary, James H. Baker and San Jacinto College. — Rebekah Ward and Octavia Johnson
Shelter in place near La Porte, Deer Park
Officials at San Jacinto College Central Campus also told students to shelter in place until the emergency is resolved. Officials with the La Porte Independent School District posted on its website, "All students are safe, and schools in the affected area are sheltering in place as a precaution."
Deer Park OEM officials said the SouthEast Texas Regional Advisory Council will work on potential evacuation for a nearby assisted living facility. It is unclear of the name of the facility. A temporary reunification site has been established at the Jimmy Burke Activity Center on Thirteenth Street.
Harris County Precinct 8 Constables announced that the East Harris County Activity Center at 7340 Spencer Highway in Pasadena will be used as an evacuation shelter and cooling center. Harris County Precinct 2 officials said in a Facebook post. The Faithbridge Church on Center Street in Deer Park is also being used as a shelter for the public, officials said. — Rebekah Ward, Octavia Johnson and Michael Garcia
Officials say the pipeline fire could take hours
Deer Park Mayor Jerry Mouton, Jr. said during a news conference that it could take hours for the flames to die out. "The product in the pipeline is just going to have to burn off." He announced that the natural gas line was burning and the heat generating the fire could be a risk. — Octavia Johnson
Deer Park OEM confirms that pipeline belongs to Energy Transfer
Before the afternoon press conference, the Deer Park's Office of Emergency Management released a statement confirming that the pipeline was owned by Energy Transfer.
Energy Transfer said the fire happened at a valve station along Spencer Highway. Representatives said in the statement that they had heard early reports of a vehicle striking the valve. They added that air monitoring equipment was in the process of being set up in the area.
There were no reported injuries and the cause of the fire is still under investigation. — Octavia Johnson, Amanda Drane, Dug Begley, Claire Hao, Rebekah Ward
San Jacinto College students, La Porte residents describe what they saw
San Jacinto College students said they were preparing for or attending classes when they heard a "boom" sound coming from the distance near their school.
Ayla Ruffin, 18, was in the Chick-fil-A drive-thru on East Street, heading to class when she heard a sound and felt her car shake.
"I felt heat coming straight through my car window, I looked up and the fire was huge right in front of me," Ruffin said. She added the fire seemed about 100 yards from her.
Gerardo Perez, 25, said he was in class when he felt a small rumble before the lights flickered for a few seconds.
"It felt like a tiny tremble, like when lightning strikes," he said.
Both students live near an industrial chemical plant complex and were unsure about the effects the fire may have in their neighborhoods. Student Daniel Fernandez said the air conditioner was shut off at the college amid the pipeline fire. — Yvette Orozco
Road closures due to fire
According to Harris County Precinct 2 officials, the highway was closed in the area. Southbound traffic along East Boulevard toward the highway is also stopped, they said, and the nearby Walmart and H-E-B are closed to traffic.
CenterPoint Energy officials said they will send out electric crews, when it is safe, to assess any damage to the transmission and distribution infrastructure including power lines, poles and equipment.
"Keeping safety first, the public should avoid the area until further notice from local emergency officials," the energy company said on X, formerly known as Twitter.
- Rebekah Ward and Octavia Johnson
Check here for updates on this breaking news story
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