What you need to know about the three-day pipeline fire burning in suburban Houston

DEER PARK, Texas (AP) — A pipeline fire that forced hundreds of people to flee their homes in suburban Houston burned for a third day Wednesday, with no official timetable for when it might finally be extinguished.

Authorities have provided few details about what caused the driver of an SUV to hit an overhead valve on the pipeline on Monday, sparking the fire.

Here are some things you need to know about the pipeline fire situation:

What caused the fire?

Authorities 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 large grassy area and drove through a fence surrounding the valve equipment.

Authorities have provided few details about the circumstances of the crash, the identity of the driver and what happened to him. The pipeline company said Wednesday that it was an accident. Deer Park officials said preliminary investigations by police and FBI agents have found no evidence of a terrorist attack.

Deer Park police will not be able to access the burned vehicle until the flames are extinguished. Once the area is safe, the department will be able to continue its investigation and confirm details, city spokeswoman 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 operator did not respond to questions about other safety protections in place.

Who is responsible for the pipeline?

Energy Transfer is the Dallas-based owner of the pipeline, a 20-inch-wide conduit that stretches for miles through the Houston area.

Liquefied natural gas is flowing through the suburbs of Deer Park and La Porte, both southeast of Houston. Energy Transfer said the fire had diminished overnight and was continuing to “safely extinguish” Wednesday.

Energy Transfer also built the Dakota Access pipeline, which has been the center of protests and legal battles. The company’s executive chairman, Kelcy Warren, has donated millions of dollars in campaign contributions to Texas Republican Gov. Greg Abbott.

What do we do to put out 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, the damaged components can be repaired.

“The safest way to handle this process is to let the products burn,” Energy Transfer said.

How were residents impacted?

Authorities evacuated nearly 1,000 homes at one point and ordered residents of nearby schools to take shelter. Hundreds of customers were without power. Authorities said Wednesday that only 30 customers remained without power in the Deer Park and La Porte area.

Deer Park’s statement said Energy Transfer “prioritizes the safety of the community and the environment when implementing its emergency response plan.”

As of Tuesday evening, about 400 evacuees remained, and some expressed frustration at being forced to flee quickly and not being given a timetable for their return.

“We left with our clothes on our backs, our pets, and we left the neighborhood not knowing where we were going,” said Kristina Reff, who lives near the fire. “It was frustrating.”

What about fire pollution?

Energy Transfer and Harris County officials said air quality monitoring shows no immediate risk to individuals, despite the massive tower of flames that rose hundreds of feet into the air, creating thick black smoke that hung over the area.

Houston is the nation’s petrochemical heartland, home to a cluster of refineries and plants and thousands of miles of pipelines. Explosions and fires are common, some of them fatal, raising recurring questions about the industry’s efforts to protect the public and the environment.

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