Natural gas line break triggers evacuations, school closures in South Bexar County

No injuries reported in explosion, fire near FM 2937, Martinez-Losoya Road

SAN ANTONIO – A natural gas line break sparked an explosion and fire early Tuesday in South Bexar County, prompting officials to evacuate three homes and a school district to cancel classes.

No injuries were reported in the incident near FM 2937 and Martinez-Losoya Road off Highway 281 South.

Jonathon Fonseca said he woke up around 1:30 a.m., looked out the window and saw flames shooting around 40 feet into the air.

"I kind of panicked and said, 'We got to get out of here.' And we jumped in the car and took off," Fonseca said. 

According to Bexar County Emergency Management Coordinator Kyle Coleman, a 10-inch natural gas line broke.

The fire burned for more than four hours. Crews made sure the flames didn't spread to the home.

"From time to time, they (firefighters) take a garden hose and wash off the front of the home to keep it cool," Coleman said.

There was no immediate word why the gas line broke, but Mother Nature may have been a factor.

"The ground expands and contracts as the weather goes, and we've had weird weather here, so you never know. It could also have been a weak part of the pipe," Coleman said.

The incident forced the Southside Independent School District to cancel classes. District spokesman Randy Escamilla said the explosion and fire caused a natural gas and electrical outage to nearby schools.

 


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David Ibañez has been managing editor of KSAT.com since the website's launch in October 2000.

Max Massey is the GMSA weekend anchor and a general assignments reporter. Max has been live at some of the biggest national stories out of Texas in recent years, including the Sutherland Springs shooting, Hurricane Harvey and the manhunt for the Austin bomber. Outside of work, Max follows politics and sports, especially Penn State, his alma mater.