Thousands of residents without power after fire at welding gas supplier in Brazoria County

FREEPORT, Texas – A large fire has been reported at a welding gas supplier Wednesday in Brazoria County, according to the Freeport Fire Department.

Officials said a CenterPoint substation caught on fire located at Praxair, Inc., located at TX-332, southeast of Highway 288.

The substation feeds power to the plants and residents of Freeport and the oil inside caught on fire. About 2,500 residents are without power due to the incident, according to the Freeport fire chief.

CenterPoint Energy released the following statement:

CenterPoint Energy is aware of the situation at a substation in the Freeport area, which is owned and operated by a customer. The facility is not part of CenterPoint Energy’s system. We are in close communication with the customer to assist as needed and will be prepared to re-energize the transmission line once it is safe to do so.

There is currently no danger to the public and no injuries have been reported.

The cause of the fire is under investigation.