Three Injured in Montgomery County House Explosion

Early Tuesday morning, two adult males and one adult female were injured when their home exploded in Willis in Montgomery County. The incident occurred at about 5 a.m. at a three-bedroom, wood frame home on Mandy Lane near Rogers in the Willis area. The three adults were rushed to Memorial Hermann Hospital by LifeFlight helicopter service. According to Memorial Hermann, one patient was in critical condition, one patient was in serious condition, and the third was in fair condition. Based on the photographs posted online by the local news stations, it is a miracle that anyone survived the explosion.

Jason Oliphant, Chief of Montgomery County Emergency Services District No. 1, said the home was completely destroyed and small fires continued to burn after the explosion. At this time, it is unclear what sparked and fueled the blast. Neighbors claim that the explosion blew in doors, knocked pictures from walls, and shattered windows. One neighbor claims that two ceilings in rooms fell down in his home across the street from the explosion. Another resident claims that he heard a loud explosion and witnessed a wall in his living-room move from the shockwave.

Investigators are currently at the scene still trying to determine what led to the explosion. According to an Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms spokesman, the family used propane, which was piped into the home from a 250-gallon tank in the backyard. The tank remains intact, but that is not uncommon in a gas explosion where the gas leaks downstream from the tank and is ignited by something inside the home. The Texas Railroad Commission is also on the scene investigating the explosion. The Texas Railroad Commission regulates liquefied petroleum gas (LP-Gas or propane) in the state of Texas and investigates explosions arising out of the use of LP-gas systems, equipment and appliances. Their presence on the scene indicates that propane gas may have played a role in the explosion; although, the cause of the explosion remains under investigation.

Just last year, two women died and an 8-month old boy was severely and critically burned in a gas explosion at a home in Dobbin, Texas. I currently represent the boy and the family of those that perished in that explosion in a case against the propane delivery company. Both cases involve an above-ground propane tank, a newly acquired but older home, and the photographs of the blast sites in both cases are eerily similar. While the exact cause of the explosion remains undetermined, this looks like a propane gas explosion.

If you or someone you know have been injured or killed due to the negligence or wrongdoing of another, contact board-certified attorney, Brant J. Stogner, at Abraham, Watkins, Nichols, Agosto, Aziz & Stogner by calling (713) 222-7211 or 713-222-7211.