FLORESVILLE, Texas – After an hour-long executive session on Thursday night, Floresville City Council said that it will provide waivers and permits for accumulated fees to residents impacted by a July 16 explosion.
What is unclear is how much relief the city will offer to those residents and when they can expect to receive those funds.
A report from the Texas Railroad Commission on the gas line explosion determined that one home and several others were damaged. The commission’s report showed the total property damage cost was $517,016.
The blast, which occurred in the 1600 block of H Street, resulted from a series of oversights prior to, and during, excavation activities by 4C Unlimited, a contractor installing telecommunications conduit for Rise Broadband, the report stated.
The incident began when CenterPoint Energy responded to a report of a gas odor at 1705 10th Street around 11:30 a.m. on July 16. Although no gas leak was detected on the property, the technician noticed an odor and expanded the search to nearby areas.
A contract locator representative informed the technician of potential damage to CenterPoint Energy’s gas line on H Street caused by 4C Unlimited around 11:45 a.m., according to the report. It was later revealed that 4C Unlimited did not report this possible damage to CenterPoint Energy.
The technician discovered gas venting from the ground at several locations along H Street and identified gas blowing from the sewer lateral at 1601 H Street, the report said. This prompted considerations for evacuations east of 1601 H Street in the direction of the suspected bore path, and additional resources from CenterPoint Energy were called in to manage the situation.
By noon, CenterPoint Energy personnel were on-site to assess the extent of the leak and vent gas from the sewer system and ensure evacuations on H Street, according to the report. The Floresville Fire Department had already evacuated the affected structures.
While excavating at the isolation point at 2 p.m., the main structure at 1605 H Street exploded. According to the report, the construction crew quickly continued their efforts and squeezed off the two-inch plastic main at 2:05 p.m.
The report concluded that the contract locator not affiliated with 4C had incorrectly marked the location of the two-inch plastic main, which 4C Unlimited had damaged in multiple locations during their excavation.
Floresville City Councilwoman Beatrice Ximenez-Marroquin emailed the following statement to KSAT early Friday morning.
“All residents impacted will be contacted tomorrow and emailed a report. The city will also upload on the City website by 5 p.m.,” Ximenez-Marroquin said.
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