Gas leak in Hondo leads to power outage and evacuations

Several homes have been evacuated and much of the city of Hondo is without power after a major gas leak was reported in the Texas town about 50 miles west of San Antonio. Initial reports indicate it’ll be several hours before power is restored.

Just before 12:45 p.m. Monday afternoon, the Hondo Police Department confirmed a major gas leak north of Avenue E and 20^th Street in the town near Highway 90. As a result, a nearby power substation off Avenue U was shut off, seemingly to avoid a dangerous situation.

“The power substation off Avenue U is going to have to be shut off. The Majority of the city will loose[sic] power,” a statement from the police department reads. “Major gas leak just north of Avenue V and 21^st Street. The homes in the immediate area have been evacuated due to the proximity to an electrical substation. Please avoid the area.”

A map of the area shows Avenue V and 21^st Street don’t intersect, but the statement appears to be referencing the intersection of Avenue V and 20^th Street. An update from the Hondo Police Department shortly before 1:30 p.m. states it could take between 2 and 4 hours to repair the damaged gas line, meaning much of the city could be without power for several hours.

While many parents have questioned whether they should pick up their children from school early or if classes will be cancelled, the school district couldn’t be reached for comment, seemingly due to the power outage. They did however, post a message on their Facebook page.

“Hondo ISD is aware of the situation at one of the area electrical substations. We are working closely with city officials to monitor the situation. There is not a threat to our students and we are continuing as normal but dealing with the same power outage that the city is dealing with. We will continue to monitor the situation and will post updates as they become available.”

The Hondo Police Department says they did deploy additional officers to the Hondo Independent School District campuses as a precaution while the power is out.

“We are currently experiencing power issues within the City of Hondo, and our phone lines are down at this time,” the Medina County Sheriff’s Office posted on Facebook. “We will advise when they are back up.”