Following dual explosions in Preston Hollow on Tuesday, neighbors suspect a tree’s roots may have compromised a gas line, sparking the federal investigation.
SAN ANTONIO — Neighbors who have been anxious since two explosions rocked the Preston Hollow area Tuesday night might be a bit closer to answers as of late Friday.
Officials with CPS Energy and the NTSB aren’t talking, but neighbors are.
Several people who attended a meeting of neighbors Thursday afternoon said they had been told that a tree in the backyard of one of the houses in the blast zone had something to do with what went wrong.
Numerous people said a tree service contractor would be showing up shortly to remove the tree.
Within the hour, a crew from McCoy Tree Surgery pulled up to the site. The company website boasts that they have been offering services to the utility line business since 1946.
Company personnel could be seen working in the backyard of one house left standing; the houses on either side had been demolished by blasts that happened about two hours apart Tuesday night, drawing a large emergency response.
They worked diligently to remove a single oak in the yard, with workers hauling the branches of the tree out into the middle of the drainage channel south of the home.
One neighbor told KENS 5 after the tree was removed, investigators would be looking below ground into the root system of the tree for a possible connection to the explosion.
They said the working theory seemed to be that the tree’s roots compromised the gas supply line and a leak led to the explosions.
With the tree out of the way on Friday morning, workers wearing clothing from NTSB and CPS Energy were seen digging in the yard, first with an excavator machine and then with a shovel.
Every few minutes, they stopped to take pictures inside the dig. This went on for hours until they used a battery-powered saw and then pulled what looked like a huge section of tree root out of the ground.
Many of the people who had been involved in the dig left the area after the object was removed.
Meanwhile, it appears work in the yard has been scaled back Friday afternoon.
Parts of Preston Hollow Street remained closed to vehicle traffic, and neighbors said a few people in the blast area are still without utility service—or answers.
CPS Energy’s update on Thursday said electric and gas services in the area that had been restored are clear and safe.
The company urged anyone who found debris or damage to their homes to contact their Customer Response Unit (CRU).
The release advised personnel would be available at the Northeast Senior Center at 4135 Thousand Oaks Drive from 8:30 a.m. through 5 p.m. until Sunday, April 26. The number to call at any time for suspected gas leaks is 210-353-HELP (4357) or 911.
The company’s website published the following advice about what to do in an emergency:
- “Leave Immediately: Get away from the area and do not try to find the leak.
- No Sparks: Do not turn light switches on or off, use telephones, operate garage doors, or start vehicles.
- Report: Call 911 and CPS Energy at (210) 353-4357 (HELP).
- Do Not Turn Off Valves: Only authorized personnel should operate gas meters.”
The NTSB provided a statement that read: “NTSB investigations involve three primary areas: human factors, the pipeline system, and the operating environment.”
They added the organization had no plans to conduct interviews or hold media briefings.