19 October 2015, News Wires – An explosion and fire at a pipeline facility in South Texas early Friday morning led to classes being cancelled at a nearby elementary school, according to local reports.
- Upstream
19 October 2015, News Wires – An explosion and fire at a pipeline facility in South Texas early Friday morning led to classes being cancelled at a nearby elementary school, according to local reports.
No injuries were reported in the blaze, which occurred at around 4 a.m. about a quarter-mile west of the town of Encinal. Classes at the local high school and middle school were cancelled as well, according to the Cotulla Independent School District Facebook page.
No evacuations were ordered, but the Encinal city manager invited residents to city hall if they did not feel safe. Some showed up “due to intense heat,” local media reported.
Friday morning, the Internet buzzed with images and videos of the massive fire.
Texas Railroad Commission spokeswoman Gaye McElwain told Upstream the explosion happened at a Lewis Petro Properties facility and the cause was not yet known. An inspector from the commission was at the scene, she added.
Lewis Petro Properties is a subsidiary of Lewis Energy Group, a private Eagle Ford natural gas player. The company operates more than 1400 wells in the play, according to its website. Its midstream segment includes a pipeline network composed of active gathering lines, trunk lines and treating facilities that service producing wells on more than 450,000 acres in four counties.
Lewis Energy did not immediately respond with a request for comment.
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