A pipeline fire in Deer Park, a suburb southeast of Houston, was extinguished on Thursday after burning for four days.
As reported by AP News, the fire led to the evacuation of neighborhoods and caused significant damage to nearby properties, including melted cars and destroyed fences.
Authorities announced a criminal investigation into the fire, which started after a white SUV crashed into an above-ground pipeline valve near a Walmart parking lot.
Officials recovered human remains from the vehicle found at the scene.
Local law enforcement and the FBI are investigating, though no evidence of foul play or terrorism has been found so far.
On Thursday, before the fire was fully extinguished, officials removed a white SUV from the scene of the explosion.
Inside, they discovered human remains, according to a statement from Deer Park officials.
The vehicle had been involved in the initial incident that sparked the fire when it struck the pipeline valve.
Deer Park authorities stated: “This has developed into a criminal investigation and will be actively ongoing until more information is available.” However, investigators, including local FBI agents, believe the crash was accidental.
Residents returned to their homes on Thursday to assess the damage after the evacuation order was lifted.
Some found their properties severely affected by the fire’s heat.
Diane Hutto, who lives just a few hundred feet from the pipeline, expressed her distress over the damage to her home.
Hutto said: “Devastated, upset, scared. We don’t know what we’re going to do now.”
Her home suffered water damage from firefighting efforts, with part of her ceiling collapsed and mold setting in.
Others, like Robert Blair, experienced less severe damage, including cracked windows and melted pipes.
Blair commented: “We were very lucky here.
It could have been worse.”
Although the fire created a large plume of smoke, officials from Harris County and Energy Transfer, the company that owns the pipeline, stated that air quality monitoring showed no immediate danger to residents.
Still, the incident has raised questions about the safety measures in place for pipelines running through residential areas.
Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo has said that the county will consider requiring additional security measures around pipelines, such as concrete barriers, to prevent future incidents.
Residents, such as Blair, agreed: “If they had that around it, I don’t think this would have happened.”
A four-day fire in Deer Park, Texas, caused by a vehicle crash into a pipeline valve, was extinguished on Thursday.
Local authorities have launched a criminal investigation, though they currently believe the crash was accidental.
Human remains were found in the vehicle involved in the incident.
Residents affected by the fire returned home to assess the damage, which ranged from melted vehicles to water damage inside homes.
While air quality concerns were minimal, officials are considering implementing stricter safety measures around pipelines.