Houston pipeline explosion erupts into towering blaze, forcing evacuations

A pipeline explosion near Houston erupted in a towering flame over neighborhoods for hours on Monday, forcing evacuations and shelter orders and melting playground equipment as firefighters struggled to keep nearby homes from burning.

Operators shut off the flow of natural gas liquids, but so much remained in the 20-inch (51-centimeter) pipeline that firefighters could do nothing but watch and hose down adjacent homes until it burns itself out. That could take hours, perhaps into Tuesday, Deer Park Mayor Jerry Mouton Jr. said.

“The fire, it’s very hot, so a lot of the house structures that are adjacent to that are still catching on fire even though we’re putting a lot of water on them,” Mouton said. Local authorities would not speculate about the cause of the fir e and what role a burned car near the source of the flame may have had.

READ MORE: Idaho gas station explosion leaves two critically injured and others presumed dead

READ MORE: Incredible story of priest who became first recorded 9/11 casualty pulled from rubble and laid on altar

The pipeline’s owner, Dallas-based Energy Transfer, said in a statement that it was “aware of early reports” that a car had struck some valve equipment but did not offer more details, including the origin of those reports.

One firefighter sustained a minor injury, the only one reported so far.

Abc news report Geselle Melina Guerra and her boyfriend heard the explosion as they were having breakfast in their mobile home.

Guerra said: "All of a sudden we hear this loud bang and then I see something bright, like orange, coming from our back door that’s outside. I was just freaking out, pacing around the living room, not really knowing what to do or what was happening. I thought maybe it was an airplane that had crashed down by our house.”

A statement from Harris County Pollution Control on Monday afternoon said no volatile organic compounds had been detected. The statement said particulate matter from the smoke was moderate and not an immediate risk to healthy people, although “sensitive populations may want to take precautions.”