A vehicle crashed into a gas pipeline valve near Houston, exploding into a tower of flame that has burned for days. Investigators are now looking into whether it was more than an accident.

With the fire substantially smaller since it began on Monday, police were able to access the area around the pipeline in Deer Park.

Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo said progress is being made to repair and extinguish the Deer Park pipeline fire despite a timeline for recovery that has changed over the past few days. The fire, which Hidalgo called the worst she has seen since a 2019 tank fire at the Intercontinental Terminals Co.