LA PORTE, Texas — When a pipeline burst into flames Monday morning in Deer Park, nearby homeowners had to leave everything behind as they rushed to safety.
More than 24 hours later, the large fire continued to burn and families in La Porte's Brooklgen neighborhood were still waiting to return home.
“They’re not letting us in. We’ve got to get medications. We’ve got our pets still in the house," Steve Hutto told us.
Hutto and his wife live on East Meadow Drive and their home took a direct hit when the pipeline exploded into flames. The fire started after an SUV crashed into an above-ground valve just before 10 a.m. Monday.
“My wife was in one of the second-story bedrooms. She was at the window when it exploded. It knocked her out of her seat," Hutto said.
The heat from the burning pipeline ignited a grass fire and destroyed a nearby playground. Firefighters sprayed water on nearby homes and smoke could be seen coming from some roofs.
Hutto is concerned the water seeped into his house through the roof left damaged by Hurricane Beryl.
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“And they came out and put temporary tarps on it," Hutto said. "We were trying to get the roof fixed, so whatever the fire didn’t do, the excessive water just probably trashed the inside of the house."
The material things that can be replaced aren't what he's most concerned about.
"I had a son that passed away in 2002. He was 2-and-a-half years old," Hutto said. "The only thing I worry about is the pictures of my baby boy that I lost. Everything else I don’t care about.”
Deer Park city officials said Energy Transfers, which owns the pipeline, is letting the fire burn itself out because that's better for the environment. They hope it's out by Monday evening.
A few thousand customers in the area lost power because of the fire and CenterPoint said their crews were on standby waiting for the ground to cool before restoration efforts could begin.
Hutto and his neighbors are just hoping their nightmare ends soon.
"Well, you know what they say, 'if it don’t kill you it’ll make you stronger,' right?" Hutto said. "I'm tired of being strong though.”