Happened on Doulton Drive around 10am
Authorities said a person called CenterPoint to report the gas leak.
About an hour later, they said the explosion occurred, lifting the house from the foundation into the air. The fire started after that, leaving only a pile of the remains of the house.
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HFD said the homeowner whose house caught fire was able to get out before the explosion and no other injuries have been reported.
“It’s an extremely happy scenario where no one was injured,” said HFD Assistant Chief Mike Mire. “When you have an explosion, the pressure waves travel normally and are only blocked by the adjacent houses. It’s amazing that the destruction was limited to one house.”
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He also said the fire spread to an adjacent house and a car nearby. The explosion broke windows of nearby houses and caused other minor demolitions.
WATCH: “Thought It Was a Bomb”: A neighbor describes what she saw and heard during the explosion
The couple who lost the house had lived there for over 50 years. Their family set up a GoFundMe to cover the cost of the damage.
Mire also said the couple reached out to the American Red Cross for help.
CenterPoint personnel were also able to come out to plug the leak. They said the leak was caused by a five centimeter pipeline and they had to work gradually to shut it down.
“If you smell gas, get out,” Mire said for future emergencies. “Don’t turn on any light switches. Don’t turn on any flashlights. ‘
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