KLEIN, Texas – Several people were injured Friday in a large natural gas explosion and fire near Klein that prompted an evacuation of some residents in the area.
The fire was reported in the 18700 block of Gleannloch Lakes Boulevard.
Officials from the Harris County Fire Marshal’s Office said that a crew from Comcast was working in the area and nicked a natural gas line. The crew called in a CenterPoint crew to inspect the line which is when two lines exploded, officials said.
A representative of Comcast said a contractor cut a small line in an area where the line was incorrectly marked. The representative said CenterPoint crews hit a larger line while repairing the small line.
Flames shoot from the scene of a large natural gas fire near Klein, Texas, on March 5, 2021.
Five people were transported by ambulance. One was airlifted to Memorial Hermann in critical but stable condition as of 11pm, according to Klein Fire Rescue.
Video from Sky 2 showed several vehicles belonging to a construction crew at the scene. Some of them appeared to be burning.
Officials said at least one home sustained damage.
People are asked to avoid the area.
HCFMO officials said that people within 500 feet of the scene have been evacuated.
“They’ve gotta be very concerned. We’re keeping them in our prayers and hopefully, we’ll get everything under control here shortly,” said neighbor Jim Crenshaw.
At around midnight, authorities reported the fire had been put out and residents were being allowed back into their homes.
As of 8 a.m. Saturday repairs are in progress and CenterPoint Energy crews remain on site working to restore service to impacted natural gas customers.
Residents who had their natural gas service interrupted as a result of the incident are urged not to turn any valves or tamper with the natural gas meter for safety reasons. Opening or turning any valves could allow air to enter the natural gas lines, which would hinder the restoration process, CenterPoint said in a statement.
All electric customers who experienced an outage due to the incident have had their power restored.
