Human remains recovered from vehicle that slammed into Houston-area pipeline, causing explosion

By Andy Rose, CNN

A pipeline fire burns on Monday in La Porte, Texas. 

Brett Coomer/Houston Chronicle/Getty Images

Human remains have been recovered from an SUV that crashed into a liquid natural gas pipeline this week and caused an explosion and dayslong fire, police said Thursday – the day that the fire would eventually be extinguished.

“The Deer Park Police Department was able to access the site and remove the white vehicle associated with the pipeline fire incident,” the police department said in a news release. “Once removed, Harris County Medical Examiners were able to process the vehicle. During the processing, they were able to recover and remove human remains.”

Deer Park police said it “will take some time” to identify the remains. “This has developed into a criminal investigation and will be actively ongoing until further information is available,” police said.

The fire started when the vehicle crashed through a fence next to a Walmart and then hit a pipeline value that was above ground, shooting flames and smoke high into the air. The intense heat melted parts of nearby homes and cars.

The fire burned for three days until it was extinguished Thursday, Deer Park city spokesperson Kaitlyn Bluejacket said.

Energy Transfer, the owner of the pipeline, said in a statement Wednesday it would be putting out the blaze by cutting off its fuel rather than attacking the fire directly.

“When the isolation equipment is installed, we will purge the short section with nitrogen, which will extinguish the fire, and begin the repairs,” the company said. “The safest way to manage this process is to let the products burn off.”

Video of the pipeline site taken by CNN affiliate KHOU on Thursday showed small flames briefly burst from the head of a pipe before dying down.

About 100 homes were evacuated earlier this week within a half-mile radius of the explosion, according to Jamie Galloway, emergency services director for the city of Deer Park.

The evacuation order was lifted Wednesday night and all residents have been able to access their homes, Bluejacket said.

There is no current safety concern for residents near the pipeline site, the city spokesperson added.

The explosion also damaged some power lines and equipment, leading to some electricity outages in the area, Houston-based utility CenterPoint Energy has said. The company has been repairing the damaged equipment and has restored service to most of the homes that lost power, it said Thursday.

“CenterPoint crews have been able to safely access the area to perform repairs and have restored all customers who are able to receive power. We remain in contact with the small number of customers who must have additional repairs completed before they are able to be restored. Putting safety first, the public should continue to follow directives of local emergency officials,” the utility said in an email.