Human remains were discovered in a car that crashed into a pipeline valve, sparking a fire that has been raging for four days, authorities said

Human remains have been discovered in a car that crashed into a pipeline valve near Houston, Texas, sparking a fire that has raged for four days, officials said.

On Thursday, the fire was significantly smaller than when it broke out earlier in the week, allowing police to gain access to the area around the pipeline in Deer Park.

Investigators removed a white car that had crashed through a fence and into the valve.

Forensic scientists were able to examine the car and recover and remove human remains, Deer Park officials said in a statement.

“They will now begin the identification process, which will take some time. This has evolved into a criminal investigation and is actively continuing,” they added.

The underground pipeline runs beneath high-voltage cables between a Walmart store and a residential neighborhood in the area.

Officials believe the driver left the garage parking lot, then drove onto a large grassy area and broke through the fence surrounding the valve.

Authorities could not provide any information on the cause of the crash, but expected the fire to be extinguished late Thursday.

Earlier this week, at the height of the fire, nearly 1,000 homes were evacuated and students at a nearby school were urged to seek safety.

Energy Transfer, the Dallas-based company that owns the pipeline, had previously described the incident as an accident.

A preliminary investigation by police and FBI agents found no evidence of a terrorist attack, Deer Park officials added.

The pipeline is a 50 cm (20 inch) wide natural gas pipeline through Deer Park and nearby La Porte.

On Wednesday evening, authorities began allowing residents back into their homes, but part of the road near the pipeline valve remained closed.

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The natural gas supply to the pipeline was shut off, but the fire continued to burn because there was already a lot of gas in the main line.

Despite massive flames that rose hundreds of feet into the air at the start of the fire and produced thick, black smoke, air quality measurements showed no evidence of a danger to people, officials said.

(c) Sky News 2024: Human remains discovered in car that crashed into pipeline