A blaze from a ruptured gas pipeline near Cuero in Texas is being allowed to slowly burn out. A local sheriff said he expects this to happen by Monday morning. A huge column of fire was visible for over 20 miles after the pipeline caught fire.
No injuries have been reported so far, according to Raul Diaz, a deputy with the DeWitt County Sheriff's Office, as cited by My San Antonio online news.
“If we were going to have a fire from a ruptured pipeline, I don’t think we could have picked a better location, as there were so few homes around there,” said Joel Zavesky. He added the Sheriff’s Office doesn’t have any idea what caused the blaze.
Out side cueroPosted by Justin Lee Molands on Sunday, 14 June 2015
Major pipeline rupture in Lindenau, TX (right outside of Cuero). Prayers for those involved. pic.twitter.com/0g6vUUiDGR
— Alyssa Hudson (@HudsonAlyssa) June 15, 2015
There was no major damage as a result of the inferno. Some telephone poles were damaged and there were also some grass fires. Sheriff Zavesky says he expects the fire to burn out by Monday morning. The incident took place near Cuero, a town about 75 miles east of San Antonio.
UPDATE: No injuries, residents in a mile radius have been evacuated. pic.twitter.com/YCDoHZtCuH
— Crossroads Today (@CrossroadsToday) June 15, 2015
“It was a big boom, and it shook the house,” local resident Roger Zimmerman was quoted as saying by the Victoria Advocate online publication. “You can feel the heat. ... It was pretty intense. It still is intense.”
“I don’t think we will be getting any sleep tonight,” Zimmerman, who lives about a mile from the fire, added.
Authorities are planning to let the fire burn down on its own, Cuero Volunteer Fire Department public information officer told local media.
Cuero pipeline explosion @Vicadvocate@CrossroadsToday#notthebestvideographerpic.twitter.com/CxEsb5g8ye
— Kevin Gray (@KAYGEE1978) June 15, 2015
Massive Fire near Cuero http://t.co/zpQV9d3xmDpic.twitter.com/E76B1W9FfI
— Crossroads Today (@CrossroadsToday) June 15, 2015
The explosion occurred around 8:30 pm local time on Sunday. Zavesky said seven homes in the area were evacuated as a precautionary measure after law enforcement and the DeWitt County Fire Department responded to reports of a pipe burst near the intersection of F.M 953 and Lindeneau Road.
“It was a big boom, and it shook the house,” local resident Roger Zimmerman was quoted as saying by the Victoria Advocate online publication. “You can feel the heat. ... It was pretty intense. It still is intense.”
“I don’t think we will be getting any sleep tonight,” Zimmerman, who lives about a mile from the fire, added.
@KENS5 pipeline explosion near lindenau tx pic.twitter.com/mFgsYiEruP
— Eric Corpus (@corpus888) June 15, 2015
Here is video from the pipeline fire in Cuero. We are out here about to talk with sheriff for more info. pic.twitter.com/LBeq0I1faS
— Bianca R. Montes (@reporterbianca) June 15, 2015
The authorities are planning to let the fire burn down on its own, Cuero Volunteer Fire Department’s public information officer told local media.
Officers from the Texas Department of Transportation arrived at the scene to put up barricades to establish a safety perimeter.
Mixed messages on social media suggested there was a pipeline explosion at the Devon Energy plant north of Cuero, but the company told the Victoria Advocate that it wasn’t their pipeline.