How the Monahans Volunteer Fire Department took on the pipeline explosion fire [Video]

However, when they got there, they had to hold their ground.

“We arrived on scene, very large fire. You can see it from a distance,” MVFD Assistant Fire Chief John Bell said. “We staged the safe distance away and started making notifications to all the oil companies that were involved there.”

Unlike a fire that springs up naturally, these fires happened because of the pipeline explosion.

Whenever there is gas involved, firefighters end up playing the waiting game.

“There’s no way to put really those out, you just have to let them burn themselves out,” Bell said. “The gas companies will shut the valves on either side of the fire and then burn the gas that’s in between them out. So once the gas company shuts in their …