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Three San Antonio City Council members are calling for a special session to review how the city handles emergency response, after two house explosions last week on the North Side, in the Preston Hollow subdivision, injured five people.
Investigators believe a natural gas buildup may have caused the blasts, which damaged homes and prompted a multi-agency response involving the San Antonio Fire Department, San Antonio Police Department and CPS Energy, the city’s municipally owned utility.
Councilmembers Marc Whyte, Marina Alderete Gavito and Teri Castillo called for the special session.
Whyte, who represents the area, said some residents were given conflicting information by different agencies during the incident.
“The residents of San Antonio deserve to know that when an emergency happens, every agency with a role to play is working from the same playbook,” Whyte said.
City officials have not publicly detailed any breakdowns in the response or said whether infrastructure issues played a role. But the incident has prompted questions about how agencies operate during high-risk situations. Incidents involving natural gas often require close coordination between utilities and first responders, particularly in the early stages of an emergency.
The National Transportation Safety Board is leading the investigation into the blasts and is expected to release a preliminary report within about 30 days.
In a Facebook post Monday, Whyte said gas detection devices were being distributed to residents in the neighborhood, with firefighters helping install them. He also said solid waste crews would begin cleanup of the affected street.
The city has also set up a resource page for Preston Hollow residents with information on cleanup, gas safety and how to request assistance.
The councilmembers say the goal of the proposed session is to strengthen coordination and address any gaps, not to assign blame.
The session could take place as early as next month.
