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A special session of the San Antonio City Council on Monday was called to provide information about two home explosions on the city’s Northeast side in April, but a federal investigation isn’t allowing much to be said.
On April 21, two homes on Preston Hollow Drive exploded due to a natural gas leak. Five people, including a CPS Energy worker, were injured. In the weeks since, preliminary findings from the National Transportation Safety Board were released, a lawsuit was filed and residents are seeking answers.
Councilman Marc Whyte, District 7 Councilwoman Marina Alderete Gavito and District 5 Councilwoman Teri Castillo called for the meeting through a three-signature memo. It’s a mechanism provided to council members to request a meeting on a specific topic.
Whyte, whose district includes the affected neighborhood, called the explosions a tragedy that have led to "months of fear, uncertainty, and disruption of daily life."
“We're here today because I believe the residents of Preston Hollow have deserved better over these past two months, and we're here to answer some questions and look back at how the city conducted itself … so that in the unfortunate event that ... something like this were to ever happen again, we can do better,” Whyte said.
In May, the NTSB released preliminary investigation details about the incident that detailed a timeline and responses. A full investigation by the NTSB can take anywhere from 12-24 months. The city and other agencies in the investigation are barred from providing public comment while it is ongoing.
There is also an active lawsuit against the utility filed by victims of the explosion.
CPS Energy is municipally owned by the City of San Antonio and is the only option for residents on electricity and natural gas service in Bexar County. The utility has about 400,000 natural gas customers.
A timeline of the explosion
| April 21, 2026 | |
| 6:04 PM - A natural gas–fueled explosion and fire damaged a single-family residence at 15066 Preston Hollow Drive. Three people were seriously injured. | |
| 6:09 PM - The San Antonio Fire Department responded and extinguished the fire | |
| 6:32 PM - CPS Energy officials arrive | |
| 6:50 PM - A CPS Energy employee surveyed and conducted bar hole testing in the area near the accident home and located a leak in the service line to 15062 Preston Hollow Drive, a separate home | |
| 8:25 PM - A second residence at 15058 Preston Hollow Drive about 65 feet away from the first home explodes injuring two residents and a CPS Energy employee | |
| April 22, 2026 | |
| 1:40 AM - CPS Energy isolated the leak and then disconnected and plugged the service line | |
Two members of the Preston Hollow neighborhood addressed the council on frustrations regarding remnant debris, and a lack of communication, and follow-up. Kevin Johnson, a resident, told council members homes were not evacuated after the first explosion, and that no one appeared to have control of the scene.
“Homeowners to the left and right of the two explosions are still unable to get back into their homes. What can the city do to speed things up? We know there's investigation, there's legal, and all that. We understand that, but again, just that pile there is just a daily reminder of what happened,” Johnson said.
Tony Flores, speaking on behalf of the Preston Hollow Homeowners Association, said he and his neighbors wanted "transparency, accountability, communication, and a clear plan forward to restore confidence."
“We're here today because many residents continue to live with unanswered questions and diminished sense of security in their own homes. Recent reports have raised concerns about aging gas infrastructure and the possible interaction between mature tree roots and underground utilities,” he said.
Whyte followed up on some of the questions asked by Johnson and Flores.
“There were some questions that we just couldn't answer. Who was in charge? Who was talking to residents from the city? Who was handling the coordination between all of the different agencies that were involved?” Whyte said.
City officials said due to the investigation, details about the specific incident couldn’t be provided. However, Deputy City Manager Maria Villagomez said, in general terms, who the information comes from depends on the situation.
“Depending on the type of incident that we're managing, it could be the fire department, it could be the police department, could be public works, depending again on the nature of the incident or the emergency that we're managing, that will be that lead person for the city,” she said.
San Antonio Fire Chief Valerie Frausto said in this incident, the city’s Emergency Operations Center was not activated.
“Most incidents really don't require the activation of the EOC. It is generally activated if it requires multi department or multi agency coordination, or actually when it has potential to significantly impact life safety, critical infrastructure, or essential services,” Fausto said.
CPS Energy provided support in the 12 days after the incident according to Chief Customer Strategy Officer Deanna Hardwick.
That support included a mobile support center, which was in operation for about ten days and provided emotional support resources, lodging via hotel rooms or Airbnb stays, and distribution of gas detectors.
