Numerous gas pumps failed at several filling stations across Keller on Thursday.
Most pumps were only disabled for a few hours in the late morning and early afternoon; however, by early evening, some were still veiled with “out of service” bags and warning tape. Four stations identified by The Dallas Express were from various chains, on different roads, and separated by miles in some cases.
“The pumps were not working right,” a clerk at the RaceTrac located at 700 Keller Pkwy. told DX. “The diesel pumps would stop halfway through.”
Around 1 p.m., a technician got most of the diesel pumps dispensing gas again at the location; however, some remained out of order, explained the clerk.
“Half of the pumps went out today,” said an employee who worked the counter at the Tom Thumb Express located at 1000 Keller Pkwy.
The individual recalled that the problem had been “going on for weeks” before half of the eight gas and eight diesel pumps went out. He claimed the technician told him “there was some problem with the software.” All pumps were reportedly back online by 4 p.m. at this location.
Additionally, there were three pumps at the Shell located at 797 Keller Pkwy. that were disabled for a period of time around noon. An employee told DX that all pumps had returned to working order that afternoon.
Lastly, two pumps at the QuikTrip located at 700 S. Main St. were not working and remained out of order into the early evening. Both were gasoline-only pumps at opposing ends of the pumping station. QuikTrip staff told DX they were unaware of what caused the pumps to cease operating.
The Keller Police Department was contacted for comment. DX asked whether officials at the department believed the pump issue could have resulted from foul play; however, a representative from the department did not respond by publication.
This event follows a series of high-profile failures of critical infrastructure.
On April 3, a Microsoft 365 crash of the brand’s digital business system, which includes SharePoint and OneDrive, disturbed various commercial activities across the nation for several hours.
In March, Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge was reportedly rammed by a containership after the ship experienced a catastrophic power failure. The failure caused the bridge to collapse, several workers to die, and trade to be disrupted, as previously reported by DX.
In late February, a widespread AT&T service outage prevented cell phones across much of the country from making calls, sending texts, or connecting to the Internet.
