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Frustration mounting in Floresville in wake of gas line explosion

City, homeowners still waiting for investigators’ findings 3 months after explosion

FLORESVILLE, Texas – More than three months after a gas line explosion rocked a neighborhood in Floresville, homeowners and city leaders are still waiting for answers regarding what went wrong and who should pay for the damage.

The explosion, which happened July 16 near H and Ninth Streets, ignited a fire inside one home and blew out windows on several others. The home that went up in flames was left in ruins.

City leaders at the time said the explosion appeared to have been triggered by a crew who was digging underground.

The following day, they enacted a ban on any future digging throughout the City of Floresville until the investigation had been completed. That ban remains in effect.

The Texas Railroad Commission has been conducting an investigation into the exact cause of the explosion.

Part of the investigation includes determining who is financially responsible for the damage it caused.

So far, though, the agency has not released its findings.

“I did not think it would be this long, but I understand it’s got to be a thorough investigation,” said Monica Veliz, Floresville’s assistant city manager.

Veliz said, at times, it is frustrating that she and other city leaders have no definitive answers to pass along to the homeowners who were impacted.

She said she expected to have that information by now.

“We have tried everything in our power that we can,” Veliz said. “We’ve reached out to our state representative now to try and obtain that (investigative) report.”

In the meantime, all of the homes on one block that was directly impacted remain vacant.

People who lived in them evacuated during the explosion and have not been able to return home since then.

“It’s very disheartening,” said Aaron Gonzales, who lives around the corner from the ruins. “People are still without their homes, and you would think it would’ve gotten resolved by now.”

Gonzales said although his wife is originally from Floresville, he and his family moved into their home only about a month ago.

While he was not present during the explosion, Gonzales said he still feels the community’s loss.

“I’ve not heard from (the homeowners) personally, but I can only imagine,” Gonzales said. “They had to literally pick up their lives and stay somewhere else in the meantime.”

Veliz said rather than waiting for the investigation to be complete before moving forward with repairs, homeowners do have the option of filing claims with their own insurance companies.


About the Authors
Katrina Webber headshot

Katrina Webber joined KSAT 12 in December 2009. She reports for Good Morning San Antonio. Katrina was born and raised in Queens, NY, but after living in Gulf Coast states for the past decade, she feels right at home in Texas. It's not unusual to find her singing karaoke or leading a song with her church choir when she's not on-air.

Azian Bermea headshot

Azian Bermea is a photojournalist at KSAT.

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