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On Monday, a natural gas pipeline caught fire in a residential area near Houston, Texas, prompting evacuations from the area, officials said.
“Local authorities have imposed evacuation and curfew orders in the surrounding areas,” said a press release from the city of Deer Park in the southern United States, where the fire broke out.
The city added that the pipeline, owned by utility company Energy Transfer, is “currently being investigated to determine the cause of the fire.”
Video from local station KHOU 11 showed a huge cloud of smoke and fire at the scene of the fire. Neighbors reported hearing an explosion in the area before the fire.
In a statement to AFP, Energy Transfer said the burning pipeline had been “isolated so that the residual product in the line can burn out safely.”
The company had no estimate of how long it would take to run out of fuel, but authorities estimated it could take several hours.
Harris County Commissioner Adrian Garcia told US media that there were around 350 houses near the fire. There are also schools, supermarkets and restaurants in the vicinity.
Authorities said firefighters sprayed water on the roofs of nearby buildings to protect them from the flames, but some were already damaged.
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