A pipeline carrying fossil gas liquids exploded next to a residential area in the suburbs of Houston on Monday morning, sending a massive pillar of fire into the sky as first responders evacuated nearly 1,000 neighboring homes.

Energy Transfer, the company operating the 20-inch fossil gas pipeline near the border of the Houston suburbs of Deer Park and La Porte, has a long record of spills and accidents. Formerly known as Energy Transfer Partners, the company has faced international scrutiny and intense protests against major pipeline projects, including the Dakota Access Pipeline that inspired mass Indigenous-led resistance at Standing Rock in 2016.

Remaining gas liquids were still burning off more 12 hours after the initial explosion on Tuesday, spewing pollution directly into the atmosphere. Thousands of area residents temporarily lost power. Students at nearby schools and a college campus were ordered to shelter in place on Monday, and aerial camera footage shows firefighters racing to douse nearby homes with water as flames shoot into the sky.

Local officials reported few injuries and no deaths by Tuesday morning, but the explosion was a stark reminder of the dangers posed to local communities by rapidly expanding fossil fuel infrastructure in the Gulf South and beyond.

Located about 25 miles southwest of Houston, La Porte has the highest concentration of petrochemical plants in the world, with nearly 50 plants, two ports and miles of pipelines that transport hazardous materials, according to reports. Pipelines zigzag across the community, carrying oil and gas products used to........

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