Home explodes in NW Austin
A house exploded in NW Austin and the boom could be heard for miles. At least 24 homes were damaged and six people were injured.
AUSTIN – The Austin Fire Department is investigating what may have caused a two-story home in Northwest Austin to explode Sunday just before noon.
Officials say at least 24 homes were damaged by the explosion and six people were injured.
Home explodes in Northwest Austin
What we know:
Officials say that just before 11:30 a.m. April 13, multiple initial calls came in about a house that had blown up.
When crews arrived in the 10400 block of Double Spur Loop, they found a two-story home that looked like it had exploded and was leveled to the ground. A neighboring house had also suffered severe damage.
There was a vehicle fire at the home that collapsed, and fire crews extinguished small spot fires in the collapsed debris as well.
EMS says that a total of six people were treated in connection with the explosion. Two people from the collapsed residence are currently listed in critical and serious but stable conditions. A third person from the neighboring house is also in critical condition.
Another person with minor complaints refused transport from the scene. EMS also treated two firefighters for minor injuries. One was taken to the hospital and the other refused transport.
Officials are also working with Animal Control to account for several pets in the neighborhood.
Officials say at least 24 homes were damaged and two have been determined “uninhabitable”. The Red Cross is assisting those displaced. Some homes on nearby Spicewood Mesa, Pantera Ridge and Muley Drive have reportedly been damaged.
Power was out in the area due to power lines damaged in the explosion, but has since been restored to all homes except the severely damaged ones.
Officials said Sunday afternoon they expected to be on scene for hours.
What we don’t know:
The cause of the explosion is still unknown.
Texas Gas Service confirmed to FOX 7 Austin that the home did not have natural gas service; however, the home did have propane tanks, according to officials.
Officials also addressed “rumors circulating around,” saying that there was no plane crash or law enforcement activity in the area prior to the explosion.
Neighbors, residents react
Local perspective:
Carol Hassell’s house was one of the ones damaged.
“I heard this loud boom, and I thought maybe a branch had fallen down on my roof,” she said.
Hassell was at home during the explosion.
“All of a sudden the ceiling fell, my bedroom, there was this explosion, and the ceiling fan fell to the floor,” said Hassell.
The force of the explosion bent her garage door in and shattered her windows.
Heather Parsons, who lives nearby, thought a tree had fallen on her house.
“I was just walking around my house, and all of a sudden the house shook and I heard a boom,” said Parsons. “It sounded like a tree limb had fallen on our roof.”
“It’s almost indescribable,” Parsons added. “Truly, just seeing the … not only the impact of the explosion that happened to the house itself, but seeing the houses around it that are affected with garage doors blown in, windows blown in, doors blown off, and just knowing that I was a few miles away and I could still feel it. That’s just incredible.”
Explosion seen, heard for miles
Big picture view:
Whatever caused the quake was so powerful that people reported feeling it for miles, including Austin City Council Member Krista Laine (District 6).
“It shook my entire house, and it has reverberated throughout Northwest Austin,” said Laine. “I absolutely needed to be here to find out exactly what is at play.”
Many people reported on social media seeing a large smoke cloud and hearing a loud “boom”.
The Cedar Park Police Department posted on X (formerly Twitter) that they were aware of the boom, and CapMetro responded saying they heard it in Pflugerville.
Leander police also shared on social media that they had received reports about the explosion as well.
Gabriel Lacey shared this photo, showing the smoke cloud from just over a mile away.
Officials say the explosion was heard as far as Georgetown.
Aerial drone footage from KXSR Labs shows the aftermath of the explosion.
K. Selca, owner of KXSR Labs, says she heard and felt the explosion when it happened.
“I was sitting in my office working on my current project and felt the shockwave at the same time my windows shook as if someone had crashed their car into the side of my home,” she told FOX 7 Austin.
She says the footage was taken about 90 minutes after the explosion happened.
The Austin Fire Department also shared footage from the scene, showing the home had been leveled.
Windows and doors were also blown in by the shockwaves.
The Source: Information in this article is from Austin Travis County EMS and the Austin Fire Department, and from interviews by FOX 7 Austin’s Lauren Rangel and information gathered by FOX 7 Austin.
