A massive gas explosion at a manufacturing warehouse rocked Houston early Friday — killing at least two people as it rattled homes, damaged property and terrified residents.
The blast — apparently originating from a leaking 2,000 gallon tank of propylene — happened around 4:30 a.m. at the Watson Valve Services business on Gessner Road near Clay Road in the northwest part of the city, according to officials and local reports.
“I just woke up. 4:25am,” Adam Holt tweeted. “Houston either had an explosion, an earthquake, or an asteroid hit. I’m guessing refinery explosion. That was a big shake.”
“Bigger and louder than any earthquake,” Faten Elghote wrote. “Explosion? The entire building shook followed by [a] loud boom.”
The blast was so powerful it was caught on weather radar, Jeff Lindner, a meteorologist with the Harris County Flood Control District, tweeted.
Multiple homes suffered blown-out windows and damaged garage doors — and a local strip mall was also hit hard.
“[The explosion] knocked us all out of our bed, it was so strong,” resident Mark Brady told the outlet. “It busted out every window in our house. It busted everybody’s garage door in around here … and closer toward the explosion over here, it busted people’s roofs in and walls in, and we don’t know what it is … It’s a warzone over here.”
One person was transported to a hospital, Houston police tweeted, though the extent of that person’s injuries is unknown.
Houston Police have launched a criminal investigation, along with the arson division of the Houston Fire Department, police chief Art Acevedo said at a morning press conference.
“We have no reason to believe, we have no evidence at this point, that terrorism was involved,” Acevedo told reporters. “We don’t have any evidence that an intentional act was involved. Having said that, when you have this type of incident, part of our protocol is always to conduct a criminal investigation.”
Houston mayor Sylvester Turner tweeted that there are no air quality issues at this time.
Propylene is lighter than air and will dissipate, authorities said Friday, according to Click 2 Houston.
Authorities urged the public to search around their homes for debris and body parts — and to immediately notify police if any are found.
Drones are also being used in the search, according to ABC 13.
Acevedo warned locals to refrain from looting.
“This is in essence a disaster area right now with this explosion,” he said. “A word to the wise — do not get caught looting, because it will not be a slap on the wrist.”
