Gas pipeline explosion rocks northwest Harris County
A gas pipeline explosion and fire sent flames leaping into the sky over FM 529 in northwest Harris County Saturday night . The blast rocked homes and rattled nerves in nearby neighborhoods.
There were no reports of injuries and no homes were damaged.
A few homes close to the explosion site were evacuated as a precaution.
Residents in the immediate area near Fry Road were advised to shelter in place. The official advisory was later lifted but still encouraged.
Houston, Cypress Creek, Cy-Fair and Katy Fire Departments responded to the scene.
The intense heat from the blaze initially kept emergency crews about a quarter-mile away, HFD Lt. John Martin told the Houston Chronicle.
Witnesses said the explosion shook houses and set off car alarms in the area.
"I was eating pizza my house and it shook my whole house," said Jennifer Gilliland of Katy.
"The initial explosion rattled all the houses in this neighborhood," said Pam Brandenburg who lives in the Settlers Village Subdivsion.
Jennifer Gilleland
She and her daughter have emergency training so they went to Canyon Lakes to see if anyone needed help.
"You could feel the heat of the fire inside our truck from that distance," Brandenburg said.
A resident in Copperfield described it as a "roaring sound" and could see black smoke from his home.
The explosion sent flames 40 feet into the air, according to another witness.
Crews opened the emergency valve to the pipeline about an hour after the fire started.
Several grass fires sparked by the explosion continued to burn a few hours later.
Hours before the explosion, a bulldozer crew notified the Tennessee Gas Company that they had cut the pipeline.
Crews monitored the pipeline all afternoon. It's not clear why it suddenly ruptured around 6:30 p.m.
WOW, I was out of town all weekend...guess I better find out of my family in Houston is ok. Naturally, the ones I stay in touch with live in that area.
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"The life given us by nature is short; but the memory of a well-spent life is eternal." -Cicero
I was not home when it blew up, but I still have the smell of smoke and gas around. I saw the fire, but it was from a long distance. My neighbor was at the walmart on 529 when it blew, and reported that there was mass hysterical reactions.
Sadly, its natural gas so its not as bad as fuel, but the gas fueled homes just got hit big time.
