SAN ANTONIO \u2013 A house explosion is not an everyday occurrence, but on Tuesday, April 21, two homes exploded along the same North Side street within hours of each other. <\/p>\n
Both blasts in the 15000 block of Preston Hollow Drive critically injured three people and sent another adult to a local hospital for further treatment. <\/p>\n
Two house explosions in one neighborhood on one night spurred KSAT to revisit its most recent coverage of reported house and apartment explosions since 2020.<\/p>\n
In all, KSAT has reported on at least 13 different residences dating back to the start of the decade. Some of these explosions were considered minor. Others took months or years to reach their conclusions. The aftermath of others is not yet determined. <\/p>\n
In timeline form, here\u2019s how KSAT kept up with those stories throughout the years. <\/p>\n
2020Highland fire image (KSAT)<\/p>\n
May 10: According to San Antonio firefighters, two neighbors helped rescue an East Side man from his burning home<\/a> after they heard an explosion. <\/p>\n The man lived at a home located on the 1700 block of East Highland Boulevard. He was taken to a local hospital with extensive burns. <\/p>\n Fire crews said a gas leak likely caused the fire.<\/a> <\/p>\n One year later, the man injured in the fire filed a $1 million lawsuit<\/a> against CPS Energy. <\/p>\n According to the lawsuit, the fire sparked after Paul Mason, who rented the home, lit a cigarette. He claimed the utility was negligent in the upkeep of its natural gas lines. <\/p>\n July 22: San Antonio firefighters quickly knocked down a fire that created a small explosion inside a Northwest Side home. <\/p>\n The fire was found in the attic<\/a> and no one was in the home at the time, an SAFD battalion chief on scene said.<\/p>\n The fire in the 6000 block of Beaver Trail appeared to have started in the electrical or HVAC system, the battalion chief said. As a result, there was a small explosion.<\/p>\n No injuries were reported. <\/p>\n 2021 <\/p>\n May 1: One East Side resident suffered serious injuries and lost their home after a fire and explosion. <\/p>\n At the time, a San Antonio Fire Department spokesperson said three people were trapped inside the home<\/a>. Firefighters rescued one person, and two women escaped on their own.<\/p>\n According to SAFD, the fire started due to a ruptured gas line, which caused a small explosion.<\/p>\n The family later filed a lawsuit against CPS Energy. <\/p>\n Nearly four full years later, in February 2025, a Bexar County jury found CPS Energy negligent and ordered the utility to pay Virginia Rymers and her son, Robert, $109 million in damages.<\/a> <\/p>\n Nov. 10: A man suffered multiple burns after his Southwest Side apartment unit exploded. <\/p>\n The man told fire crews he lit a cigarette while cooking. He then saw a blue flame and felt the impact of the explosion<\/a>.<\/p>\n Neighbors also reported smelling a strong odor of gas. <\/p>\n One woman told KSAT she got out of her bed around 11 p.m. due to the smell<\/a>. <\/p>\n \u201cIt started smelling sour, like gas, and I moved to the living room,\u201d the woman said. \u201cNot even five minutes later, I laid down, and I ended up on the other side of the wall.\u201d<\/p>\n 2022Google maps shows the property where an explosion at an underground home killed 4 people on Dec. 9, 2022. (Google Street View)<\/p>\n Dec. 9: A late-night explosion at a home underground rocked the far Southeast Side<\/a> and killed four people. <\/p>\n The blast happened near K-Bar<\/a>, a construction company located in the 9700 block of Presa Street near the Interstate 37-Loop 410 interchange. <\/p>\n Upon arrival, fire crews confirmed one dead at the scene. The San Antonio Fire Department confirmed the second death the following day. <\/p>\n By the end of the weekend, investigators said two others were found dead. The Bexar County Medical Examiner\u2019s Office later confirmed the following identities<\/a>: <\/p>\n William Thompson, 57<\/p>\n Roger Huron Jr., 36<\/p>\n Ashley Autobee, 28<\/p>\n Rainy conditions, at the time, hurt investigators\u2019 ability to piece together what happened<\/a>. One woman told KSAT the explosion momentarily prevented her from returning home.<\/a><\/p>\n During a Dec. 13, 2022, press briefing, former SAFD Chief Charles Hood said the explosion happened in a home approximately 12 feet below ground. <\/p>\n The home had a tunnel with concrete walls reinforced with rebar and was built on a 75-acre site that was owned by a man, wife and brother. <\/p>\n SAFD Division Chief Doug Berry from the Arson Bureau said some people on the property reported smelling gas prior to the explosion. <\/p>\n Berry said a propane tank connected to the home was being investigated as a possible cause.<\/p>\n 2023<\/p>\n Nov. 28: According to SAFD, a driver drove his car too fast into the garage of a Northwest Side home and hit a water heater.<\/a> <\/p>\n The collision dislodged the water heater and caused a gas leak. The car caught fire, which then began to spread throughout the home. <\/p>\n During the fire\u2019s spread, a woman \u2014 the driver\u2019s wife<\/a> \u2014 inside the home suffered burns to her hands, torso and face. She was transported to a nearby hospital for further treatment. <\/p>\n Fire crews considered the home a total loss. <\/p>\n 2024<\/p>\n July 16: An explosion in broad daylight led to a series of KSAT reports<\/a> in Floresville. <\/p>\n City officials said the explosion was caused by a crew installing fiber optic lines in the area near H Street and Ninth Street hit an underground gas line. <\/p>\n The blast flattened one home and damaged at least a dozen other properties nearby<\/a>. <\/p>\n Floresville City Manager Andy Joslin initially said the city could have had its findings completed and released by July 18, 2024<\/a>. <\/p>\n However, a series of delays<\/a> caused mounting frustration among Floresville residents<\/a>. A councilwoman threatened legal action<\/a> against the fiber optic company in charge of installing the lines.<\/p>\n One reason for the delay, according to the city, was the completion of the Texas Railroad Commission\u2019s (TRC) explosion report<\/a>. <\/p>\n On Dec. 10, the commission released the report. In it, the TRC reported that CenterPoint Energy responded to the scene on July 16, where an odor of gas was present. <\/p>\n While no gas leak was detected, the CenterPoint Energy technician continued to search for a potential leak<\/a>. It was later revealed that 4C Unlimited, a contractor tasked with installing the fiber optic lines, did not report possible damage to the gas line to CenterPoint Energy.<\/p>\n Two hours later, at approximately 2 p.m., a home on H Street exploded. <\/p>\n After the report\u2019s findings were discussed at a Floresville city council meeting<\/a>, city staff put the report in the hands of residents<\/a> impacted by the blast. <\/p>\n Aug. 10: No one was injured after an explosion at a West Side apartment complex. <\/p>\n The explosion left eight units ruined<\/a> in the 2700 block of Observation Drive. <\/p>\n While the blast appeared to be related to natural gas, fire officials at the time said they were still investigating its exact cause.<\/p>\n 2025<\/p>\n May 31: An explosion and fire inside a Northwest Side home left a man who lived there with serious injuries.<\/p>\n A San Antonio Fire Department battalion chief told KSAT that the man was in his living room lighting a cigarette when his home exploded<\/a> and burst into flames.<\/p>\n The man, who rented the home, had approximately 45% to 50% burns on his upper torso<\/a>, the battalion chief said at the time. <\/p>\n Two days after the explosion, the man \u2014 later identified as Fabian Xavier Garcia-Wells \u2014 filed a lawsuit against the City of San Antonio and CPS Energy<\/a>. <\/p>\n The suit, which was filed on June 2, 2025, alleges that the explosion was the \u201cresult of a natural gas leak.\u201d<\/p>\n Garcia-Wells\u2019 lawyers also claim the city and CPS Energy were negligent to not \u201chire, equip and train competent and skilled workers, employees, contractors and subcontractors\u201d to work in and around the home contributed to the explosion and his injuries.<\/p>\n Oct. 10: Quick-thinking neighbors were instrumental in the rescue of a Schertz woman trapped in her home following an explosion. <\/p>\n According to one of the neighbors who brought her out of the home, she appeared to have cuts and serious burns on her face and body<\/a>. She was later loaded into an ambulance. <\/p>\n Another neighbor, a plumber, told KSAT he smelled gas before the blast and suspected the cause may be due to a possible gas leak. <\/p>\n At the time, CenterPoint Energy said it was still investigating the cause of the explosion<\/a>. <\/p>\n 2026<\/p>\n Jan. 9: San Antonio fire crews said an explosion localized within the garage of a Northeast Side home didn\u2019t cause much damage to the rest of the property<\/a>. <\/p>\n Additionally, two people suffered minor burns, but both were expected to fully recover. <\/p>\n Fire officials said a lithium-ion battery on a charger contributed to the explosion.<\/p>\n April 21: Two adults and a child suffered burns and were rushed to a local hospital in critical condition after an explosion in a North Side neighborhood. <\/p>\n SAFD said the first fire was extinguished \u201cvery quickly\u201d and was likely related to a natural gas buildup. <\/p>\n