SAN ANTONIO – As the investigation continues into home explosions last Tuesday night on San Antonio’s North Side, some major questions remain unanswered surrounding the incident.
Preston Hollow Drive remains blocked off by San Antonio Police Department barricades, located near Thousand Oaks Drive.
District 10 Councilmember Marc Whyte, who represents the neighborhood, spent Sunday with residents in the subdivision, some of whom still may not return home as crews work to determine the cause.
“People have questions,” Whyte said. “People want to know if they’re safe in their homes, people want to know what happened.”
Six households remain evacuated nearly a week after the explosions. Whyte said in a statement that the residents are being housed in Airbnbs in the meantime.
As for when they can return home?
“I wish I could answer that,” Whyte said, “but we don’t want anybody moving back into their homes when the home hasn’t been deemed to be structurally sound.”
While Whyte said that he was unable to answer some of the residents’ questions, he said that his office has put together a page on his website with frequently asked questions and ways to get in contact with concerns.
“It’s about getting them whatever else we can,” Whyte said. “We now have a designated point of contact with CPS Energy that can schedule all the gas line inspections for anybody that wants one here in the neighborhood.”
Residents in the Preston Hollow subdivision may contact the CPS Energy Customer Response Unit for home checks and debris cleanup by emailing cru@cpsenergy.com or calling 210-353-2783.
Some residents, however, feel that the cleanup efforts have not been moving fast enough.
“We’re also going to talk to the Solid Waste Department with the city,” Whyte said, “and I’m sure those good folks will come out here as soon as possible to help with the cleanup.”
Whyte hopes to secure assurances from city entities such as CPS Energy “sooner rather than later” to help help residents in the neighborhood feel safe.
“Transparency is paramount,” Whyte said. “I think in the coming weeks, conversations with all of those entities are going to take place.
“They need to talk with themselves as well, and I need to be briefed as to how those conversations went,” Whyte said. “We will get that information. It will come to me, and I’ll get it to my residents.”
The National Transportation Safety Board issued a statement to KSAT over the weekend, reaffirming that the investigation remains ongoing.
CPS Energy said Sunday it has assisted more than two dozen customers since Tuesday, and will continue to maintain a presence in Preston Hollow.
If you think you smell a strong odor of gas — which smells like rotten eggs — Whyte’s office and CPS said to leave the house immediately, without turning on or off any electrical switches, and call 911 from a neighbor’s house.
KSAT continues to follow updates on the Preston Hollow home explosions. Read more of our coverage below: