Explosion destroys home, felt throughout neighborhood

HOUSTON (FOX 26) - An explosion in the east end of Houston destroys a family’s home and sends neighbors running into the burning house to see if anyone was inside. The explosion ripped the home to shreds and shook the entire neighborhood.

"The Earth was like shaking, shook the whole apartment," explains neighbor Irene Caballero. "So I ran outside. When I ran out, the whole roof was popped open.”

Neighbors also saw flames and Victor Maldonado went running into the fire.  

"We smelled a lot of gas, but we tried to make sure nobody was in there that’s the reason we went in there," says Maldonado.

It turns out that the husband and wife who live in the home were already at work when the home exploded at around 9:45 a.m. Friday. The woman became overwhelmed and was examined by paramedics and after arriving home and finding her home destroyed.

"She’s just a little scared but she’s doing fine," explains the homeowners’ daughter Erika Guzman. 

Just what exactly happened to the home on Bryan Street?

"Just based on preliminary investigation, the explosion came from within the house,” explains Houston Fire Department Chief Sam Pena, who says interviews with witnesses and even the destruction itself seem to tell a story that the blast was caused by natural gas. "The roof blew off of the structure. It seems like it split the roof in half and one part of that roof is laying on each side of the structure.  The walls blew outward."

Some residents say they saw CenterPoint Energy crews in the area just before the blast. CenterPoint isn’t confirming that but the energy company says it is working with HFD investigators to figure out what caused the explosion.