A loud boom in the Northwest Austin area occurred around 11:23 a.m. on Sunday, April 13, and was felt as far north as Georgetown. First responders rushed to the scene at 10400 Double Spur Loop following a reported explosion and discovered a two-story house that had collapsed.
The cause of the explosion is currently unknown, but emergency officials speculate it was caused by a gas leak since the home had propane tanks. According to Austin Fire Department (AFD) Division Chief Wayne Parrish, this is believed to be an isolated incident, and there is no Texas Gas Service to the residence. AFD Battalion Chief Thayer Smith said that there are garage doors and windows damaged throughout the neighborhood that need to be replaced. There will be no criminal investigation into the explosion.
“This [incident] is very significant, [but] we have had several explosions over the years,” AFD Battalion Chief Thayer Smith said in a press briefing. “Red Cross is here assisting those who may not be able to return to [their] homes due to damage. Except for the two [houses], the one that was directly involved and the house next door, everything else hopefully should be inhabitable.”
In addition to the collapsed house, one house partially collapsed. According to the Austin-Travis County Emergency Medical Services (ATCEMS), they had six total injured patients. Two were from the primary residency, with one in critical condition and the other in a serious but stable condition. A secondary home also had a patient in critical condition, and an additional adult voiced minor complaints. Two firefighters sustained minor injuries, and one was transported to the hospital for treatment. As of now, there are no confirmed deaths.
“Explosions can have a variety of injuries, especially primary and secondary homes,” ATCEMS Public Information Officer Shannon Koesterer said in the briefing. “There’s anything from burns to fractures from the explosion.”
The AFD Crew extinguished small spot fires in the collapsed debris. The debris included wood, a burned-out vehicle, and damaged homes. Furthermore, the power was out due to damaged power lines. Pedernales Electric Cooperative (PEC) detected the outage at 11:22 a.m. the same day. PEC crew members are currently at the scene. The power outage added to the chaos of the situation, impacting RRISD families nearby. Residencies in the neighborhood housed many Westwood students who experienced commotion and household damage from the explosion.
“I watched the screen on my window fall off,” Lasya Gudibanda ‘27, who was one street away, said. “I went downstairs and heard my parents screaming because they thought [I was injured]. I went outside, and there was a giant cloud of thick yellow smoke. All of my neighbors came outside and stood in our yard because they thought it was our house that blew up. [My dad] went over to the house that exploded, and they pulled one person out alive from the rubble.”
The primary residence was newly constructed, and the family that bought the house had planned on moving in in two weeks. Neighboring homes housed numerous RRISD students, including Browning Lind ‘25, who helped clear rubble off one of the people in the collapsed house.
The explosion also caused minor damage to neighboring facilities. Parrish and his team counted approximately 24 damaged homes in the area, with additional reports of damage in Spicewood Mesa, Pantera Ridge, and Muley Drive. Laurel Mountain Elementary (LME) School, only 0.2 miles from the site of the explosion, had window panels shattered in the cafeteria and one classroom. A portable also had electrical and plumbing damage. The district is working to replace the windows and LME Principal Doriane Marvel has provided the school community with updates and resources.
“Our maintenance and operations teams were on-site as soon as it was safe and began cleanup and repair,” Associate Director of Communications and Community Relations Ms. Sydney Kim said. “The Laurel Mountain community immediately came together to support each other. Maintenance staff have boarded up the affected windows and removed all the broken glass. The structure was unaffected, and the school is safe for students to attend classes.”
As of 2:30 p.m., power had been restored to all houses except those severely damaged. The Travis County Fire Marshall is the lead investigator and is currently looking into the cause of the explosion. The AFD will release details after confirmation. It was estimated that it would take several hours for affected individuals in surrounding homes – except for the primary house and the neighboring house – to inhabit their homes again. Officials were on a temporary standstill at the scene as they wait for excavators to aid in removing debris.
“I’ll always remember this,” Lind said. “Being at the scene was certainly no joke, and seeing the injured is something I’ll always remember.”
This story was originally published on Westwood Horizon on April 14, 2025.
