Emergency Responders Wait For La Porte Blaze To Burn Itself Out

Nearly 24 hours after the fire first broke out, flames continued to roar in La Porte Tuesday morning after an SUV reportedly struck a pipeline valve station.

According to Deer Park Mayor Jerry Mouton Jr., there is no expected timeline for when the fire will burn itself out. Energy Transfer, the Dallas-based company that owns the pipeline, and Harris County Pollution Control are continuing to monitor the air within the region immediately affected by the fire.

As of Monday night, there were air monitoring issues detected. Soot — or particulate matter — was detected at “moderate levels” that do not pose an immediate risk for healthy populations.

An evacuation order was initially put in place Monday morning after the La Porte Fire Department responded to the blaze around 10 a.m. Residents and employees at businesses located between Spencer Highway and Fairmont Parkway between Luella Boulevard and Canada Road relocated.

La Porte Office of Emergency Management’s Emergency Operations Center will remain active Tuesday. Deer Park officials said the investigation into the details of the crash that allegedly caused the fire is still ongoing. It is unknown at this time what happened to the driver of the SUV.

However, according to initial reports, officials say the SUV rammed through a fence and drove through the field where the pipeline is.

This story will be updated as needed.