SAN ANTONIO — Two natural gas-fueled home explosions occurred along Preston Hollow Drive in San Antonio on April 21, seriously injuring five residents and a utility worker. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is leading an ongoing investigation into the cause of the blasts.

The first explosion happened at approximately 6:04 p.m. at a home on Preston Hollow Drive, seriously injuring residents Timothy Nowell, Kimberly Nowell, and their teenage daughter. San Antonio Fire Department crews responded within five minutes and quickly extinguished the fire. CPS Energy representatives arrived at the scene just after 6:30 p.m.

A second explosion occurred at approximately 8:25 p.m. at another home on the same street, about 65 feet from the first site. That blast seriously injured residents Jose Ochoa and Mayte Terrie Reeves and also injured a CPS Energy employee, who was later treated and released. The fire from the second explosion was officially extinguished by the San Antonio Fire Department at 11:59 p.m. All six injured individuals were hospitalized.

In the early hours of April 22, CPS Energy crews discovered a gas leak in a service line connected to a home located between the two explosion sites. The utility isolated the leak and disconnected and plugged the service line by 1:40 a.m. The leaking section and a portion of the gas main were removed and sent to the NTSB laboratory for testing.

Investigators confirmed the presence of gas in the ground near both damaged homes and the middle property during bar hole testing on April 22 and 23. No additional leaks were found in the gas main or service lines tied to the first home.

"We were in front of the middle house when the one to the right of it blew up. It was loud. We basically all just ran across the street," said William Bunsey, a Preston Hollow Drive resident whose home was outside the blast radius.

"CPS Energy’s top priority is the safety of our community and employees," the utility said. "The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is leading the investigation, and all updates will continue to come directly from the NTSB. Because the investigation is ongoing, we are unable to provide additional comments. We respect this process and will keep working with the NTSB." The NTSB stated that the cause of the explosions remains under investigation.