Six people were injured in an explosion that rocked Northwest Austin Sunday morning, damaging two dozen homes in a blast that was heard more than 15 miles away in Georgetown, according to the Austin Fire Department.
Firefighters were called to the neighborhood at 11:23 a.m., finding a 2-story home on Double Spur Loop that had been leveled to the ground by the explosion, AFD Division Chief Wayne Parrish says. A neighboring home suffered "severe collapse damage," he says.
Photos shared widely on social media showed a dark cloud of smoke billowing from the explosion, located a few miles northwest of The Domain.
The cause of the blast is currently under investigation by the Travis County fire marshal. Officials at the scene said the neighborhood has no underground gas lines, but the newly constructed home that exploded did have propane tanks.
Two patients were taken to the hospital from the home where the explosion took place, Austin-Travis County EMS Captain Shannon Koesterer says. One patient is in critical condition, while the other is in serious but stable condition, she says.
A patient from a nearby home was taken to the hospital in critical condition.
All of the injured patients are adults, Koesterer says. Another patient suffered minor injuries and did not go to the hospital. Two firefighters were also injured responding to the explosion. One was taken to the hospital with minor injuries, while the other was treated at the scene of the explosion.
Everyone in the neighborhood is accounted for, Parrish says, and Animal Control is helping people find missing pets. At a 2:30 p.m. news conference, officials said first responders were standing down as they wait for excavators to arrive and remove larger debris.
Nearby Laurel Mountain Elementary School was damaged in the blast, Round Rock ISD says, but school will still be able to take place on Monday.
When asked if officials have seen an explosion like this before, AFD Assistant Chief Thayer Smith said he has. "This one is very significant," he says. "We've had several over the years. I've been here for 30-plus years."
Smith says there is no indication at this time that there will be a criminal investigation. Emergency officials described the explosion as an isolated incident.
The Red Cross is at the scene to help residents who will not be able to return to their homes Sunday night.
With reporting from KUT's Becky Fogel.
