LA PORTE, Texas — Firefighters battled a massive pipeline fire in suburban Houston that sparked grass fires and burned power poles Monday, forcing people in the surrounding neighborhood to evacuate as a giant plume of fire shot high into the air.
The fire started at 9:55 a.m. in La Porte, which is about 40 kilometers southwest of Houston.
La Porte City Clerk Lee Woodward told KTRK-TV they don’t yet know what’s flowing through the pipeline or how it will be shut down.
Video footage from KTRK showed that a park near the fire had been damaged and firefighters were pouring water on adjacent houses. There are also several businesses nearby, including a Walmart.
Officials have ordered residents in the Brookglen area near the fire to evacuate, Lee Woodward, a spokesman for the city of La Porte, said in an email.
“Please avoid the area and follow police directions. Additional details will be released as they become available,” Woodward said.
The cause of the fire was not immediately known.
There are several power lines in the vicinity of the fire. The website PowerOutage.us says there are nearly 4,700 customers without power in Harris County.
CenterPoint Energy said it is monitoring the fire, which is near Spencer Highway in LaPorte. The company said the fire “is not related to the company’s natural gas operations or equipment.”
“We are also working with first responders. To put safety first, the public should avoid this area until further notice from local emergency officials. When it is safe to do so, our electrical crews will enter the area to assess the damage to our power lines, poles and transmission and distribution equipment and begin restoring service to affected customers as safely and quickly as possible.”