DEER PARK, Texas (KTRK) – A natural gas-liquefied natural gas pipeline owned by Energy transfer caught fire in Deer Park on Monday, forcing about 50 homes in nearby La Porte to be evacuated as the fire continued into the afternoon.

About three hours after the fire broke out, Energy Transfer issued a statement saying that initial reports indicated that “an unknown passenger vehicle drove into our right-of-way and struck a valve.”

The company said no one was injured in the fire, which occurred at a valve station on a 20-inch-wide liquefied natural gas pipeline along Spencer Highway and East Meadow Drive.

“The line has been isolated to allow the residual product in the line to burn out safely. We currently have no timeline for how long this process will take, but we are working closely with local authorities,” Energy Transfer said in a statement Monday afternoon. “Air monitoring equipment is currently being deployed in the area.”

ORIGINAL STORY: Officials say Deer Park pipeline fire will take hours to extinguish and may last until Tuesday

The Railroad Commission of Texas – despite its name, the state agency that regulates the oil and gas industry – said its pipeline safety inspectors were investigating the incident.

“Energy Transfer has shut down the portion of the pipeline that caught fire. RRC inspectors will be on site working with state and local emergency responders,” the commission said in a statement. “The fire occurred in a pipeline corridor, and the RRC is notifying other pipeline operators in the corridor of the incident and receiving information about actions they are taking to ensure the safety of their systems.”

Dallas-based Energy Transfer’s website says it is “one of North America’s largest and most diverse midstream energy companies, with over 200,000 miles of pipelines and related energy infrastructure in 44 states.”

ABC13 asked Energy Transfer how long the pipeline will continue to operate from Monday’s fire and is awaiting a response.

The last time we heard of an Energy Transfer pipeline fire in our area was in 2022, when a fire broke out in Wallis, west of Fort Bend County. The explosion resulted in no injuries.

13 Investigates examined the company’s history using local, state and federal records. We found that Energy Transfer was fined over $14,000 by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration for a 2022 incident in Louisiana in which the company failed to make its workplace safe.

We found no significant records from previous Railroad Commission inspections of the Energy Transfer pipelines.

The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, which is responsible for regulating emissions and air quality, has not accused the company of any previous violations related to fires.

In the meantime, Energy Transfer is asking anyone who has been evacuated and/or affected by the pipeline fire and needs assistance to call 855-430-4491. A representative will ask for your name, phone number and address and what assistance you need. All calls will be returned promptly, the company said.

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