Corpus Christi Explosion Injures 2 in Suspected Gas Blast at Home

A Corpus Christi home explosion early Friday is suspected to have been casued by natural gas. Two men remained hospitalized Friday in Texas after the blast tore through the structure and shattered the quiet of a neighborhood in the predawn hours, authorities said.

Authorities told KZTV-TV that one of the men injured was the husband of a family who lived at the residence with their two children. The television station reported later in the day that the wife and the children were out of town at the time of the explosion.

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KZTV stated that another man who was not a resident of the home was also hurt in the blast. Authorities told the Corpus Christi Caller-Times that the both men were initially treated at Christus Spohn Memorial Hospital before being flown to the San Antonio Military Medical Center burn unit.

The Caller-Times said a third person at the home, a female, was treated at the scene and refused to be transported to the hospital.

The newspaper stated that several Corpus Christi Fire Department crews responded to the home at about 5:30 a.m. Fire officials told the Caller-Times that flames were shooting from the center of the house when firefighters reached the structure. Authorities told the newspaper that the blast threw debris around the neighborhood, damaging homes as far as three blocks away.

KZTV reported that two men eating at a nearby restaurant heard the blast and ran to the home to help get people out.

The television station stated Friday afternoon that much of the neighborhood still did not have natural gas and electrical service because of the fire.

The Corpus Christi incident sounded similar to a house explosion in the Montgomery County town of Dobbin, north of Houston on June 11. That explosion and fire critically wounded three people, including an eighth-month-old child.

In the Montgomery County incident, debris was thrown for a half-mile radius, according to a fire official.

One of the people injured in that blast, Jennifer Mock, 55, later died from her injuries, said KBTX-TV. Authorities blamed the fire on an undetected leaking propane tank inside the home.

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