2,000 Flee Town in Blasts, Blaze

MONT BELVIEU, Tex. — A ruptured pipeline touched off three explosions and a raging fire at a gas storage facility today, forcing all 2,000 residents of this southeast Texas town to flee their homes.

Two of the 15 to 20 workers in the refinery were unaccounted for at midday, said a spokesman for Chevron USA, which owns the Warren Petroleum facility about 30 miles east of Houston. Persistent flames fed by gas in underground storage tanks prevented firefighters and rescue workers from reaching the blast area hours after the explosion.