Video shows accident that caused pipeline fire in Deer Park

DEER PARK, Texas – We take a closer look at the moment a vehicle struck an above-ground valve, sparking the massive pipeline fire in Deer Park that has been raging since Monday morning.

A transport company's work vehicle was accidentally hit by the impact and explosion from across the road.

Devin Boone is a dispatcher at Total Marine Transportation based in Greenspoint.

On Monday morning, one of Boone's drivers made a routine stop at a store in La Porte, across from Wal-Mart.

The van parked in front of the store and the driver went inside, followed by the passenger. The van's cameras continued to roll.

“When you see the red truck drive by, you see the car racing toward the pipeline,” Boone said.

And then suddenly flames shoot several hundred meters into the air.

According to official information, the white vehicle first drove through a fence and then crashed into the above-ground valve of the liquefied natural gas pipeline.

“Very high speed,” Boone said. “I wouldn't go so far as to say it was intentional, but it looked like they were going 65 to 70 miles per hour.”

Boone's driver and passenger ran out of the building after hearing the explosion and tried to get into the van, but were unsuccessful.

“She said it was just too hot, so she took the crew member and ran away from the explosion,” Boone said.

The van was left across the street from the fire scene.

“When we finally recovered the vehicle, the plastic on the outside was melted, the vents were melted, many components were damaged by the heat,” Boone said.

When KHOU 11's Matt Dougherty personally inspected the van on Tuesday, the outside was covered in soot and plastic parts on the outside were damaged.

Inside, the plastic vents on the ceiling have melted, giving an idea of ​​how hot the fire was, even from a distance.

What you don't see in the video is that someone gets out of the vehicle that hit the valve.

Neither the city of Deer Park nor police have commented on who they believe was behind the wheel of the white SUV or whether the driver survived.