AUSTIN, Texas — Six months after a house exploded on Double Spur Loop in northwest Austin, the debris remains in place — fenced off and uncollected — as legal and insurance battles delay cleanup and accountability.

The explosion, which occurred when the home’s new owner flipped a light switch, was caused by a buildup of propane, according to the Travis County Fire Marshal. The owner had not yet moved in.

Next door, neighbor Carol Schacherl was gravely injured in the blast. “I had just done a three-minute plank,” she recalled. “I was so excited, and then five minutes later everything blew up.” The explosion knocked Schacherl unconscious. She spent several days on life support, followed by weeks in rehabilitation. “The house and the rafters and all the trussing and everything just collapsed,” she said. “Furniture in my bedroom had just exploded.”

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Schacherl has since filed a lawsuit against multiple contractors involved in handling the propane at the destroyed property. Her attorney said the case could take several years to resolve. Investigators have already removed and examined the propane tank, but have not yet set a trial date.

Her attorney said evidence suggests the propane lacked a sufficient amount of mercaptan, the chemical that gives propane and natural gas their distinct odor as a safety warning. “We had a leak somewhere,” he said. “We had an odorant that didn’t work properly. We had things that maybe were not installed properly, and inspectors missed them, so it’s a complicated case. And hence, the reason everything is still here.” The debris remains on site for investigators to continue collecting forensic evidence.

Schacherl has also faced difficulties with insurance claims as she continues her recovery. “I had vertigo really badly, so moving my head, trying to read, was horrible,” she said. “And of course, I couldn’t type. I still can’t type.”

For now, Double Spur Loop remains a visible reminder of the explosion — a neighborhood caught between recovery and resolution.