Greg Abbott deploys resources to battle massive Texas chemical plant explosion

Texas Governor Greg Abbott said on Monday that his administration has deployed state resources and personnel to help respond to a massive fire at a pipeline in Deer Park.

"I spoke with Mayor Mouton to offer the state's full support and ensure there are no unmet needs. Our prayers are with the Deer Park community and the brave first responders," said Abbott in a publication on X shortly after the news broke.

Officials are recommending people to evacuate nearby areas as flames are rising up in the air where the pipeline exploded. According to an NBC affiliate in Houston, the pipeline is owned by Energy Transfer and burning a chemical called Y Grade NGL, a product resulting from the natural gas processing process.

Energy Transfer released a statement acknowledging the incident, saying that there are no report of injuries at this time." "The LaPorte Fire Department is on the scene and has evacuated all homes and businesses within a half mile of the incident site. The line has been isolated so that the residual product in the line can safely burn itself out. We have no timeline at this point on how long that process will take, but we are working closely with local authorities," reads a part of the statement.

Spencer Highway and Fairmont Parkway have also received evacuation orders, while a shelter-in-place was issued for San Jacinto college.

The company added that early reports indicate that "an unknown passenger car entered our right-of-way and struck the valve location." "Air monitoring equipment is in the process of being set up in the area. We will continue to release details as they become available."