Shouting matches punctuate growing lines at San Antonio gas stations, more than 100 now without fuel

Situations at the pump got tense as drivers began screaming at one another and trying to stop other vehicles from cutting in line Thursday, Aug. 31, 2017. Situations at the pump got tense as drivers began screaming at one another and trying to stop other vehicles from cutting in line Thursday, Aug. 31, 2017. Photo: Caleb Downs Photo: Caleb Downs Image 1 of / 53 Caption Close Shouting matches punctuate growing lines at San Antonio gas stations, more than 100 now without fuel 1 / 53 Back to Gallery

As lines get longer at gas stations across San Antonio, tempers seem to be getting shorter.

At several gas stations, frustrated drivers have gotten out of their cars to yell at each other. At one, a woman physically planted herself in front of a car to prevent it from cutting the line while another woman screamed at a car that had managed to sneak in.

GasBuddy, a gas price tracking firm, reports 270 stations in San Antonio were without fuel after 9:30 p.m., up from seven at 1 p.m.

Mayor Ron Nirenberg sought to calm the panic Thursday afternoon, reminding residents there was no widespread gasoline shortage but rather a delay in fuel production.

"San Antonio, there is no gas shortage," Nirenberg said. "As the result of delayed refinery operations caused by Hurricane Harvey, some stations have run low on gas."

He urged San Antonians to not be "misled by social media, which is causing people to panic and purchase more gas than necessary," and asked drivers to purchase gas as they normally would.

More than 20 percent of U.S. refining capacity is currently shuttered because of the storm, and gas prices are expected to spike, maybe up to 35 cents, in the coming weeks. Gas prices have already risen about 5 cents in San Antonio, according to GasBuddy.

Several gas stations began reporting running out of fuel Thursday morning. By the afternoon more stations were displaying "sold out" signs and as word spread on social media drivers began flocking to the pumps.

Lines have stretched through parking lots and even into streets, blocking traffic.

Leroy Belk tried six different gas stations before he ran out of fuel at the H-E-B at Wurzbach and Interstate 10. He waited in line for over an hour before making it to a pump, having to physically push his car a few feet every 5 minutes or so.

"Everyone's looking at what's happening on Facebook," he told mySA. "That's the power of Facebook."

Frank Barrera went to eight gas stations on the south side before making the trip up north and enduring the huge lines and occasional shouting match.

"You think this is bad? Go to the South Side. Everyone is fighting," he said.

The manager of a 7-Eleven near Loop 410 and Vance Jackson, who identified himself only as Sonu, frantically directed traffic at his station and said his reserves were nearly depleted.

Next door at a Valero, numerous drivers lined up for fuel, and one of them expressed his concern to mySA that the beginning of the end of the world is upon us.

RELATED: Gas prices in Texas may spike 35 cents in 2 weeks due to Harvey, Labor Day

"Hurricane Harvey has impacted many gas refineries, and Texas is experiencing a gas supply shortage as a result," read a statement from 7-Eleven. "We are doing everything we can to provide gas to our customers as it becomes available."

Braden Reddal, Senior External Affairs Advisor for Chevron, said the company's fuel supply across Texas is currently varied as a result of Harvey.

"We are assessing all options to supply fuel to customers in areas where shortages exist and are working with customers to deliver fuel as product supplies become available," he said in an email.

The average gas price in Texas is now $2.26 per gallon, which is 12 cents higher than one week ago before Harvey made landfall, according to The Associated Press.

QuikTrip, one of the largest convenience store chains in the U.S., will stop selling gas at about half of its 135 locations in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. All locations will remain open, but only half will be selling gas.

Mike Thornbrugh, a spokesman for QuikTrip, told The Associated Press that the company plans to have locations with gas across the metro area.

RELATED: Harvey halts 20 percent U.S. refining operations

Many refineries closed on Friday in preparation for the storm and were attempting to resume operations on Wednesday morning, according to the American Petroleum Institute, but others were flooded and may take weeks to reopen.

According to the U.S. Department of Energy, 10 refineries along the Gulf Coast are currently shut down. Six have begun assessing damage and restarting, and two are operating at reduced rates.

Though areas across Texas are reporting shortages, national fuel inventory may help offset any long term disruptions to gas supply caused by the storm.

"Nationally, current inventories of crude oil and refined products are relatively high, and these supplies may help offset storm-related supply disruptions to both," wrote Mark Green, editor of the API's blog, on Wednesday.

Refinery operations stretching along the Texas coastline from Corpus Christi to the Louisiana border account for about 3 percent of the U.S. economy and is a major export market for oil and chemicals.

In San Antonio though, some are wondering why so many people are panicking.

Karen McManuis, a local real estate agent, was walking into the H-E-B when she stopped to ponder the madness occurring before her eyes.

"What do they think will happen?" she asked herself. "We'll never have gas again? I know it was a horrible storm but why panic like this?"

Express-News staff writers Rye Druzin and Jennifer Hiller and the Associated Press contributed to this report.

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cdowns@mysa.com

Twitter: @calebjdowns