MCALLEN, Texas — A massive gas explosion and fire south of the Texas border forced Tamaulipas authorities to scramble firefighters and emergency personnel. Unlike previous explosions, no injuries have been reported.
The explosion took place Wednesday afternoon near the rural city of San Fernando in the area called Nejo well #57, the Tamaulipas government said in a prepared statement issued to Breitbart Texas. San Fernando is about 80 miles south of the border city of Reynosa.
As a precautionary measure 30 residents from the nearby rural town of El Cortileno were evacuated to avoid any future injuries to civilians while authorities worked to contain the blaze.
According to authorities the well was undergoing repair work when the blast occurred. In 2012, a gas explosion at one of the refineries in the border city of Reynosa killed 26 workers and injured several dozens in a case that still has many questions left unanswered.
In Northern Tamaulipas, drug cartels have resorted to taping into gas lines to steal raw fuel which they then sell at street corners. This practice has led to several explosions in the past where inexperienced thieves improperly tap into the fuel line.
In May 2014, a gas explosion at a Reynosa strip mall killed three and left seven others injured in that case officials attributed the explosion to a broken gas line at a restaurant in the strip mall.
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