Lake Dallas house explosion forces resident evacuations
Lake Dallas explosion questions linger
Several families are spending the night away from home again after a house explosion in Lake Dallas. They were evacuated as officials began looking into the cause of that explosion.
LAKE DALLAS, Texas - Residents in a Lake Dallas neighborhood are slowly being allowed to go back home after an explosion and fire that destroyed a house and sent one person to the hospital on Thursday night.
Neighborhood Evacuated
What's new:
Although most Lake Dallas residents have returned home, some are still without electricity. It was turned off out of an abundance of caution as crews work on gas lines in the area.
A handful of homes remain off limits.
Atmos Energy said people in the neighborhood should expect to see technicians in the area throughout the weekend as they continue to investigate and make any needed repairs.
What they're saying:
While the gas and utility crews are working, some neighbors said they’d rather be safe than sorry.
Natha Cox is allowed to go home, but she decided to stay with her niece for a few days just in case.
"It was a little scary because you didn’t know what else was gonna happen," she said. "The explosion was super loud. I thought at first that maybe somebody shot a gun like really, really close by. But then we went outside. We had all this white debris in the air. I’m assuming it was insulation."
Restaurant owner Kevin Lively watched the first responders from his kitchen window at Mrs. Lively’s Cajun Konnection.
"I heard a loud noise, and a rumble and a shaking of my building. It literally shook the building. I was so loud," he said.
Lively must now clear out his freezers because the power is still off at his restaurant.
"Everything in my reach-in coolers, my walk-in coolers, anything that’s refrigerated is going to have to be thrown away. It’s going to be a very expensive dollar amount," he said.
Although the city of Lake Dallas has offered to help people make temporary housing arrangements and Atmos Energy is coordinating hotel accommodations, Lively said he and others are still frustrated about the lack of answers regarding their electricity and utilities.
"I think in a crisis situation like this small town, news travels very fast. I think a good practice would be to keep the line of communication open," he said.
Home explodes in Lake Dallas
Neighbors evacuated after Lake Dallas home explosion
Some neighbors were asked to evacuate their homes as a precaution after a home in Lake Dallas exploded last night. The city set up resources for those displaced by the investigation into the explosion, which is now being described as a "utility-related incident."
What we know:
At 7:05 p.m. on Thursday, the Lake Cities Fire Department and the Lake Dallas Police Department responded to reports of a house fire in the 600 block of Moseley Street.
An explosion within the house caused the structure to catch on fire, eventually causing the home to collapse. The house was located just east of Lake Dallas Middle School.
Multiple other police departments responded to the fire, including Lewisville PD, Corinth PD and Highland Village PD. Atmos Energy technicians were also on-site during the fire.
At least one person was airlifted to a hospital following the explosion.
On Friday, the City of Lake Dallas said they are evacuating nearby residents out of an abundance of caution while emergency crews work to make the area safe. Residents were expected to be able to return to their homes later this evening.
SKY 4 captured footage of the aftermath of the explosion on Friday morning.
What we don't know:
Investigators are still trying to figure out what caused the home to explode.
Officials with the fire department and Atmos haven't shared much about how the explosion happened or even why the concern has expanded to a broader area.
For the past several days, the city has dealt with at least two nearby gas leaks, reporting the information on its social media pages. But so far, no connection has been made.
The Railroad Commission, which is in charge of natural gas lines, said it has agency inspectors on site.
The condition of the woman taken to the hospital after the explosion is still unknown.
The Source: Information in this story came from the Lake Dallas Police Department, Texas Railroad Commission, Atmos Energy and neighbors in Lake Dallas.