After more than four days since a car crashed into a pipeline, causing a massive fire in Deer Park, crews have finally been able to get close to the charred and melted vehicle. The Deer Park police have set up a command center near the scene and are processing the vehicle after it was towed to the street.
On Thursday morning, a flatbed truck was brought in to tow the car near the above-ground valve station along Spencer Highway as the fire was still burning. Views from Air 11 showed the command center set up by Deer Park police along Spencer Highway near the fire scene, with a gurney and canopy nearby.
Although it has not been confirmed by the police, it appears that they have begun processing the car and its contents. The Harris County Institute of Forensic Sciences is on-site to assist with processing the scene. There is still no confirmation on whether the driver was inside the vehicle.
A dashcam video provided a closer look at the moment the vehicle hit the above-ground valve that sparked the massive pipeline fire.
The fire started on Monday morning at Spencer Highway near East Boulevard near the Brookglen neighborhood. The City of Deer Park confirmed that the fire was caused by an SUV crashing through a fence at a nearby Walmart and hitting an above-ground valve. The driver’s identity has not been confirmed, and it is unclear if they survived the crash.
Due to the fire, hundreds of residents in the area were evacuated along with nearby schools and stores. A grass fire near the neighborhood was ignited by the heat from the pipeline fire, causing a playground to be destroyed. Power poles also caught fire, leaving thousands of customers without power. Fortunately, power has since been restored.
Residents were finally allowed back into the evacuation zone on Wednesday evening to assess the damage to their homes and vehicles.