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.

Officials say human remains have been found inside an SUV that authorities say hit an aboveground valve on a pipeline in suburban Houston, causing a fire that has burned for four days.

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.