A home in
Boerne was destroyed in an explosion and resulting fire Tuesday afternoon. Two
other homes were also significantly damaged.
CAUSE AND ORIGIN OF EXPLOSION AND SUBSEQUENT FIRE IN BOERNE NEIGHBORHOOD THAT LEVELED HOMES AND INJURED 1 PERSON IS ON GOING, BUT IT WAS MOST LIKELY CAUSED BY A BROKEN NATURAL GAS LINE
February
11, 2015
BOERNE, TEXAS
A large explosion in a Boerne neighborhood sparked a
multi-home fire in the San Antonio suburb Tuesday.
Emergency crews responded to the blaze in the 200 block of
Horse Hill in the Herff Ranch subdivision, where the fire happened just before
noon.
At least one man was injured and transported by helicopter
to an area hospital. Officials said 80 percent of the man's body was burned and
his current condition is unknown. The cause of the fire is still under
investigation.
The neighborhood is located a few blocks away from Cibolo
Creek Elementary School, which was temporarily placed on lockdown while
emergency crews battled the fire.
Investigators are still working to determine what caused an
explosion in a Boerne neighborhood Tuesday that decimated a home and left a man
with serious burns to 80 percent of his body.
The explosion happened around noon at a home in the 200
block of Horse Hill in the Herff Ranch subdivision, officials said.
The injured man, identified as 45-year-old Scott Kenney, was
inside the house at the time of the explosion along with his dog.
Shortly after the blast, Kenney was flown to San Antonio
Military Medical Center with significant burns.
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Neighbor alerts homeowner before natural gas explosion about a hissing natural gas sound, but it was too late
BOERNE, TEXAS:
Moments before an explosion ripped through 45-year-old Scott Kenney's two-story house Tuesday, a neighbor heard a hissing noise outside the home and told him to get out.
"As Mr. Kenney was preparing to come out of the house and leave the home, he just didn't make it. The explosion occurred," said Pamela Bransford, spokeswoman for the city of Boerne.
She said Kenney, a local car salesman, was alone at the time of the midday blast. His three children were at school and his wife, a teacher, was at work.
At last word, the badly-burned Kenney remains in intensive care at the San Antonio Military Medical Center.
However, a family spokesman said Kenney is "much better than feared."
He said the family is now talking about "recovery and rehabilitation."
At a midafternoon briefing Wednesday, Bransford said investigators want to know why a house built in 2008 would have had a gas leak.
The state fire marshal's office, the lead agency handling the investigation, spent the day clearing debris to look for clues to the explosion that destroyed the Kenney's family $200,000 home and severely damaged two houses on either side.
Bransford said this was the city of Boerne's first natural gas explosion "and hopefully the last."
She said as a precaution, the city has posted information on its Facebook page with advice on what to do if someone suspects a gas leak.
As for other houses along Horse Hill, Bransford said, "Our crews went in, individually lit their pilot lights once the gas was activated, so we know all those houses are safe."
She said since city crews do not check lines beyond the gas meter, she advised calling a plumber or an AC/heating contractor.