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Investigators from Dallas Fire-Rescue inspect the leveled The Clyde apartments on East 9th St near Patton Avenue in the Oak Cliff area of Dallas, May 30, 2026. The apartment building exploded and burst into flames, Thursday.<\/p>\n
Tom Fox\/The Dallas Morning News<\/p>\n
An investigative report released Wednesday determined the portion of the gas line that was hit<\/a> before last month\u2019s deadly explosion in Oak Cliff had not been marked as required before drilling began <\/a>at the site.\u00a0<\/p>\n It’s not clear why the struck line was not marked, a step designed to prevent drillers from hitting underground utility lines. The report, issued by the National Transportation Safety Board, is preliminary, and investigators say it could take more than a year to finish its probe into the cause of the disaster. \u00a0<\/p>\n The finding adds a key detail to a growing fight over responsibility, as residents and relatives of those killed press legal claims<\/a> accusing Atmos Energy of not repairing repeated leaks, not replacing aging plastic pipe and not properly marking underground gas lines. The gas utility has repeatedly denied<\/a> any wrongdoing: \u201cThird parties are responsible for the harms alleged in Plaintiffs\u2019 petitions,\u201d lawyers wrote Monday in a court filing.\u00a0<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n Dallas Fire-Rescue crews were responding May 28 to a reported gas leak at The Clyde apartments on East Ninth Street near Patton Avenue when the building exploded and caught fire. Three residents \u2014 Sylvia Collins<\/a>, 79; Marisol P\u00e9rez<\/a>, 37; and her 18-month-old son, Erik P\u00e9rez Sanchez Jr. \u2014 were killed. The NTSB report said at least six others were hurt.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n