The 5 victims were airlifted to the burn unit at University Medical Center in Lubbock, Texas. One of the victims was a firefighter.
The cause of the explosions is still under investigation, according to pipeline operator Kinder Morgan.
The operators shut down and isolated part of the El Paso Natural Gas Pipeline (EPNG) when the explosions occurred:
“There was a third-party pipeline involved that also experienced a failure, and preliminary indications are that the third-party line failure occurred before the EPNG line failure.”
The accident involved at least 3 natural gas pipeline explosions. Firefighters were able to suppress the first fire, but about an hour later there were at least 2 more explosions.
The explosions occurred on a rural road about 5 miles south of Highway 158 at around 11:30 a.m. on August 1, 2018.
Source: Natural Gas Pipeline Explosions In Texas Critically Injure 5 Workers