A house explosion in Austin, Texas, destroyed the residence and damaged 24 nearby properties, injuring six people – including two firefighters.
About 11.25am CDT, residents across Austin reported hearing a boom and feeling an explosion in the area. “It rattled my windows and building,” one person posted on social media with an image of a plume of smoke rising into the air. Residents as far away as Georgetown – about 28 miles to the north – reported hearing the explosion.
Austin fire department has confirmed that six people – including two firefighters – were injured in the blast, which collapsed the house. Two of the injured were from the house, said Shannon Koesterer, spokesperson for Austin-Travis county EMS. One was in critical condition and the other in serious condition.
Koesterer said a person in a nearby home was one of the injured and was listed in critical condition as well.
Power was out for a time in the surrounding area but has been restored, said Thayer Smith, assistant chief of the Austin fire department.
“We’re going to be here for hours,” Smith said on Sunday afternoon. “The main street will probably be opened, you know, probably within the next hour, but this street will be closed for the rest of the day.”
Emergency officials were investigating the source but say they think the explosion that caused the house to collapse was caused by a gas explosion, possibly propane, KVUE news reported. The Texas Gas Service confirmed the house did not have natural gas service.
Carol Hassell, who lives in the neighborhood, spoke with CBS Austin and said she heard a “loud boom” when the explosion happened.
“I thought maybe a branch had fallen down on my roof,” Carol Hassell said. “I went out in the backyard, and the back door had been blown open, and I didn’t see anything on the house. I came out to the front, and then I realized all my windows had been blown out and the front door, and there’s extensive damage to some of the ceilings.”
Hassell, who was preparing to list her home for sale later this month, said her garage doors were blown in, as well as the deadbolts on her locks.
“I’m just glad I’m OK,” she said.
