FLORESVILLE, Texas – More than a week since a gas line explosion in Floresville, residents are still looking for answers.
“As a citizen, we want to know what’s being done. Are (sic) there going to be compensation, who is responsible and what is the city doing about it,” Floresville resident Eduardo Villareal said.
According to the city, a crew installing fiber optic lines in the area near H Street and 9th Street on July 16 accidentally hit an underground gas main, causing a gas leak.
However, the leak ultimately triggered an explosion that destroyed one home and damaged approximately 13 properties, Floresville Police Chief Anthony Flores said.
Nine days after the explosion, Floresville City Manager Andy Joslin addressed the city council on Thursday night.
“The investigative report and findings are unavailable at this time,” Joslin said.
Joslin said the city is working to get relief for the victims. His office is also providing those affected by the explosion with claims adjusters information for Rise Broadband.
“But the main thing that we are waiting on is the report from the Texas Railroad Commission,” Joslin said.
It is not yet clear when that report will be available, but it is only adding to the frustration of people in Floresville.
A second gas line was hit two days after the explosion. The second incident was along Highway 181, less than a quarter mile from the July 16 explosion site.
As a result of the second gas leak, no explosion occurred and no injuries were reported.
“There needs to be money spent to make sure that those lines are located before the drilling happens and, at the very least, when you accidentally drill into somebody’s line, make sure that there is someone there to repair it,” Villareal said. “This really leaves our community in a state of fear and paranoia.”
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