5 workers were injured Thursday night and one was flown to Baton Rouge for treatment of burns following a pipeline fire just off U.S. Highway 90 in Paradis.
Authorities were trying to locate a worker who had been unaccounted for late Thursday night.
It wasn't immediately clear what caused the fire which erupted between 6:30 and 7 p.m, but there is speculation that a valve may have failed.
6 workers were cleaning the 20-inch Phillips 66 pipeline when the fire broke out. One worker was airlifted to a burn unit in Baton Rouge, three workers were treated at the scene and another was released after receiving treatment at a hospital in Raceland.
St. Charles Parish Sheriff Greg Champagne said the pipeline became "a large blowtorch" producing flames that soared 40 feet into the air.
Phillips 66 said the pipeline carries y-grade, or raw, natural gas liquids and extends from Paradis to Venice.
The fire led to the evacuation of some 60 homes in the area and the American Red Cross offered shelter at a community center in Luling.