Energy Transfer Says Blast Occurred on Texas NGL Line

(Bloomberg) -- Firefighters in the Houston suburb of La Porte were working to extinguish a pipeline fire that forced residents to evacuate some areas.

The blast occurred at a valve station on a 20-inch pipeline operated by Energy Transfer Corp., the company said in a statement. The line, which transports natural gas liquids, “has been isolated so that the residual product in the line can safely burn itself out,” according to the statement.

Energy Transfer shares fell more than 1% on the news. 

The city’s fire department was dispatched to the fire at 9:55 a.m. on Monday, and while no injuries were reported, residents were cleared from the area, a spokesperson for the city said in an interview. 

La Porte — located in the bay area about 26 miles east of Houston — has the largest concentration of chemical plants in the world, with the city being home to nearly 50 plants, two ports and thousands of miles of pipelines.

Nearby San Jacinto College’s central campus issued a shelter-in-place order and closed the site for the remainder of the day.

The Railroad Commission of Texas, which regulates pipelines in the state, said it is investigating the incident.

(Updates Energy Transfer confimation in first two paragraphs, share move in third and adds update from RRC in last.)

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