Amarillo, TX – An Amarillo home explodes, and fire officials say a gas leak is to blame.
The Delgado Family home at 1411 NE 16th Avenue suffered extensive damage…all caused when natural gas pooling under their home ignited around four on Sunday afternoon.
The homeowners lost everything inside their $42,000 home. Amazingly, everyone inside made it out alive and what’s perhaps even more amazing is that the worst of it included a few minor burns and scratches.
Captain Bob Johnson with the Amarillo Fire Department says, “That’s why odorant is put into gas, natural gas, so that we can smell it. Of course, if you smell gas in your house, you need to open the house up, go outside and call either the plumber or the gas company or the fire department and let us come over there and check it out.”
The homeowners did just that only a few days before their home was destroyed. “We were initially called out a few days ago and discovered the problem was a leaking gas line, so we turned it off. Then we were called out to return service a few days after that, so that’s what we did,” adds Atmos Energy’s Roy Urrutia.
Blame has not been officially placed on anyone and the investigation is still underway. In the meantime, Atmos is covering the cost of whatever the family needs… They’ve offered everything from housing to clothing.
Atmos crews have been on scene all day repairing gas lines both in the front of the damaged house and down the street.