It’s been more than a week since a structure collapse and “loud boom” rocked Central Texas on April 13, extending from a home explosion in Northwest Austin that was heard as far away as Cedar Park and Georgetown. In the days since, tens of thousands of dollars have been raised to support those impacted, and city officials noted dozens of recorded property damages sustained from the blast.
Here’s everything we know about the explosion and what’s next for those needing to rebuild and repair.
What caused the explosion?
The explosion happened in the 10400 block of Double Spur Loop around 11:25 a.m. on April 13, with the Austin Fire Department responding to the call and initially designating it a potential structure fire. Officials later revealed an unknown incident “completely leveled” the two-story structure, identified as 10410 Double Spur Loop, a new build property in the neighborhood.
On Friday, April 18, the Travis County Fire Marshal’s Office — the lead investigating agency behind the incident — confirmed a “substantial propane gas leak” was responsible for the home explosion. Travis County Fire Marshal Gary Howell added there wasn’t any suspicious activity or speculated criminal involvement surrounding the explosion.
How many people were injured and properties damaged by the blast?
Austin-Travis County Emergency Medical Services responded to the incident and confirmed initially that “multiple patients” were involved in the house explosion. Six total people were injured during the incident, including four in the primary and neighboring homes and two firefighters injured while responding to the explosion…