SAN ANTONIO – Multiple people are hospitalized in critical condition after home explosions on April 21 in a North Side neighborhood, according to the San Antonio Fire Department.
A child was originally hospitalized in critical condition, but a University Health spokesperson later told KSAT the child is now in fair condition.
The hospital’s trauma unit is treating the child for burns suffered in the first explosion.
Crews responded to the initial fire around 6 p.m. Tuesday in the 15000 block of Preston Hollow Drive, which is located near Thousand Oaks Drive.
Around 8:30 p.m., however, KSAT crews heard a loud “boom” and saw flames shooting out of a second home nearby.
CPS Energy sent KSAT an updated statement just before 10 p.m. on Thursday, where a spokesperson for the utility said for the first time, “Electric and gas services in the Preston Hollow subdivision are clear and safe.”
Marc Whyte, the District 10 councilman, said his office and the city are currently working on creating a website to give out updates on the investigation as they become available.
CPS Energy will keep its customer response unit at the Northeast Senior Center through Sunday.
In an updated statement sent on Sunday, the utility said its CPS Energy Customer Response Unit and gas team members are helping customers relight gas pilot lights and answering questions about natural gas service upon request.
CPS Energy is also arranging debris cleanup in the area and has assisted more than two dozen customers since Tuesday.
CPS Energy said if any customers at any point smell gas, they should leave the house immediately and call CPS Energy at 210-353-HELP (4357) or 911.
North East ISD teacher, pastor among those injured
Two adults and one child suffered burns and were hospitalized after the first explosion. Two additional adults were hospitalized as a result of the second explosion.
One of those hospitalized is a teacher at MacArthur High School. A North East Independent School District spokesperson told KSAT that the injured educator is Kimberly Nowell, who teaches math at the school.
Nowell’s husband, Tim, is a pastor at Wayside Chapel, a North Side church located in the 1700 block of Northwest Loop 410.
On Monday, May 11, a hospital spokesperson said Tim Nowell is in serious condition, while Kimberly Nowell remains in critical condition.
The couple’s teenage daughter also attends the school, according to a letter sent Wednesday to MacArthur High School parents and guardians.
“I have already met with our staff to inform them of this tragic situation,” MacArthur High School Principal Joaquin Hernandez wrote in the letter obtained by KSAT. “Additionally, Ms. Nowell’s classes are being supported with the assistance of our counselors and administrative team. Our priority is to ensure students have immediate access to support.”
According to Wayside Chapel, Nowell is a “student pastor” who has served in that ministry for more than 17 years.
Jason Uptmore, the church’s lead pastor, released a statement to KSAT on Wednesday afternoon.
“We are grateful that Tim, Kim, and Ali (the couple’s daughter) are stable,” Uptmore said, in part. “Tim and his family are deeply woven into the fabric of who we are as a church. We recognize that the road ahead will be long, but we are committed to walking with them.”
A Brooke Army Medical Center (BAMC) spokesperson identified the other two explosion victims to KSAT as Mayte Reeves and Jose Ochoa.
Reeves was previously in critical condition, but is now listed as “serious.” Ochoa is in good condition and has been released from the hospital, the BAMC spokesperson said.
SAFD’s response
The first fire was extinguished “very quickly” and was likely related to a natural gas buildup, the fire department said.
The first house sustained significant damage and will likely be demolished.
In all, 10 homes along Preston Hollow Drive were evacuated following the explosions, SAFD Chief Valerie Frausto said.
Some residents can return home
Whyte told KSAT all residents except for six households on Preston Hollow Drive can return home Wednesday night, April 22.
The six households who cannot return include the two homes where the explosions occurred and immediate neighbors on that side of the street.
Police said the residents on the other side of Preston Hollow Drive are on a different power grid, but the ones where the explosions happened are not.
Affected residents being housed in temporary accommodations
In a Facebook post from Whyte, impacted residents are being housed in Airbnbs temporarily as crews work to continue clearing the homes under evacuation orders.
As of 5 p.m. Wednesday, the utility said its unit has “connected with more than two dozen residents.” Any additional impacted customers are encouraged to call 210-353-2783.
A CPS Energy spokesperson said the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) will lead the investigation into both explosions. Going forward, the utility will “coordinate any updates” with NTSB, the spokesperson said.
According to the agency’s statement earlier Wednesday, it shut off power in the area to keep customers safe.
Click here for the latest update on power outages.
In a statement Tuesday night, District 10 Councilman Marc Whyte, whose district includes Preston Hollow Drive, said, “CPS will work with all displaced people on hotel costs.”
“Any displaced residents should call our office tomorrow and we will help them be reimbursed,” Whyte said.
In a follow-up statement on Wednesday afternoon, the councilman said he is standing “with those affected as they begin the recovery process.”
“We are deeply grateful for the swift and professional response from our first responders, as well as the continued support from the Red Cross, CPS Energy, and the Northeast Senior Center,” Whyte said on Wednesday. “Their efforts have been critical in ensuring public safety and assisting those in need.”
Whyte also said anyone impacted by Tuesday’s explosions are asked to contact the District 10 office.
If anyone thinks they smell gas in their homes, CPS Energy said they should leave their house immediately and call CPS Energy at 210-353-HELP (4357) or 911.
Lawsuits filed against CPS Energy
Jose Ochoa and Mayte Terrie Reeves filed a joint lawsuit on Monday, April 27, in Bexar County district court, accusing CPS Energy of negligence after they were injured in the explosions.
Two days after the April 27 filing, court records show Reeves and Ochoa nullified the suit and sought a different law firm to represent them.
The residents officially filed their new lawsuit on May 5, according to documents obtained by KSAT Investigates. Lyons & Simmons, LLP, a Dallas-based law firm, now represents Reeves and Ochoa.
Lyons & Simmons, LLP is the same firm that took on the lawsuit of an East Side family injured in a 2021 house explosion.
Last year, a Bexar County jury ordered CPS Energy to pay the family $109 million in damages. A CPS Energy spokesperson later said the utility only paid the East Side family $3 million.
On April 21, Ochoa and Reeves’ home was the second to explode in the 15000 block of Preston Hollow Drive.
According to the lawsuit, Ochoa and Reeves were evacuated after the first explosion but were then told it was safe to return home.
Their lawyers claim the explosion at their home was “entirely preventable.”
“Though Plaintiffs (Reeves and Ochoa) survived, the Explosion and resulting fire left them catastrophically injured and permanently scarred,” the suit alleges. “They face a long, painful road ahead and their lives have been irreparably altered.”
As a result of the explosion, the victims are requesting a jury trial and are seeking $1 million each in damages.
Lawyers are also accusing CPS Energy of being negligent by “failing to hire, equip, and train competent and skilled workers” to safely operate its natural gas system around the home.
“CPS Energy had actual, subjective awareness of the risk but proceeded with a conscious indifference to the rights, safety, or welfare of others,” the new lawsuit states. “CPS Energy’s conduct, acts, and/or omissions, singularly or in combination with others, constituted gross negligence which proximately caused the Explosion and Plaintiffs’ injuries and damages.”
A CPS Energy spokeswoman told KSAT after Ochoa and Reeves’ April 27 lawsuit that the utility does not comment on active litigation.
Timothy Nowell, Kimberly Nowell and their daughter — who were all injured in the first house explosion — filed their own lawsuit alleging accusing CPS Energy of negligence on May 8.
The Nowell family, who is also represented by Lyons & Simmons, LLP, is seeking more than $1 million each in damages following the blast.
NTSB takes role of lead investigator
In a statement to KSAT on Thursday, April 23, the National Transportation Safety Board confirmed that it is investigating the natural gas-fueled explosions on Preston Hollow Drive.
The NTSB said its investigation will be centered around witness statements, available incident footage, the weather around the time of the explosions, pipeline operating practices and procedures, pipeline maintenance records, the extent and path of released gas or hazardous liquid and other information.
The federal agency expects to release a preliminary report in approximately 30 days, which will “contain factual information gathered during the initial phase of the investigation.”
A probable cause of the explosions, as well as any contributing factors, will be released in a more comprehensive report in approximately 12 to 24 months, the NTSB said.
When the homes were built
Bexar County property records show one of the homes involved in the explosions was built in 1993.
The other home was built in 2000, according to records.
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