Texas has the largest pipeline infrastructure in the nation – about 480,000 miles of pipelines – and maps show many of these lines are concentrated in the Houston area.
Yet when an above-ground pipeline exploded this fall in Deer Park, some nearby residents told Houston Landing they had never previously been aware of the pipeline or knew little about its risks until after the inferno forced them to flee their homes.
The dramatic explosion and fire – which killed the driver of the SUV that crashed into the pipeline, burned homes and forced thousands to evacuate – was among more than 200 pipeline incidents across Texas and more than 560 nationwide during 2024, according to data collected by the federal Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration.
“Houston has some of the densest pipeline infrastructure in the country,” said Bill Caram, executive director of the Pipeline Safety Trust, a national safety advocacy group. “The more educated the public is, the better they can advocate for their own safety.”