14 DAY TRIAL // Three people have been injured in a natural gas explosion in Corpus Christi, Texas on Friday, July 12.
Fire Capt. James Brown tells Caller that three homes have incurred damages and the blast was felt blocks away, taking 34 people out of their homes.
Initial reports show that a gas buildup in a home at 4800 block of Holmes Drive caused the explosion.
Out of the three people hospitalized after the fire, one was a 60-year-old man found in Lions Park 40. He came in with burns on the upper half of his body and feet.
A 25-year-old man incurred broken bones and second and third degree burns but he is now stable.
“The source of the explosion started inside the house, not outside. [...] We believe there was a natural gas build up inside the home, but investigators will be here next week to make a final decision,” Brown explains.
According to Corpus Christi Asst. Fire Chief Andy Cardiel, the fire had caused structural damage by the time that firefighters arrived. The roof had fallen off and neighboring homes had already caught on flames.
“The house had exploded. All the walls were down. The roof was already on the ground. [...] We saved a little boy, a little girl, a mom and dad. Then the adjacent house started catching fire,” witness Mike Obenhaus recalls.
AEP Texas spokesman Andy Heines reports that the explosion left 20 homes without electricity yesterday. Electricity was down in order to avoid the flames spreading.
“As a safety precaution power in that area is off as the fire department investigates the source of the explosion. As of 11:30 a.m. we've been told because of the investigation, power to those homes may not be restored until Saturday or Sunday,” Heines says.
Neighbor Noe Vasquez describes seeing four houses catching on fire, while officials have evacuated five homes that have been rendered unsafe.
“I heard loud pops and the flames shot up high above the tress,” Vasquez notes.