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A preliminary federal report was released on Thursday regarding gas explosions that rocked two neighboring North Side homes in San Antonio on April 21.
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) reported that CPS Energy found a gas leak at the twin accident site on Preston Hollow Drive nearly 90 minutes before the second home was destroyed.
While the second home did not have gas service, the leaking line ran nearby, the NTSB reported.
Five people in the homes were injured along with a CPS Energy worker who had been on site.
Two lawsuits have been filed against CPS Energy over the explosions.
CPS Energy said it will not comment since the investigation is ongoing.
"CPS Energy’s top priority is the safety of our community and employees," a statement from the utility to Texas Public Radio 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."
"Our thoughts remain with the families who have been impacted, and we will continue to be available to support the neighborhood," the statement added.
The NTSB reported that on April 21 at 6:04 p.m. the first home was rocked by explosion.
CPS Energy arrived on scene by 6:32 p.m. and by 6:50 p.m. detected a gas leak in the service line at a home between the two homes that were then also shaken by a blast.
The second home, again with no gas service, also experienced an explosion at 8:25 p.m. or nearly 90 minutes after the leak was detected.
CPS Energy isolated the leak and then disconnected and plugged the service line the next morning on April 22, at around 1:40 a.m.
The leaking section of the service line and a section of gas main were removed and sent to the NTSB Materials Laboratory for further testing.
The NTSB said all aspects of the explosions remain under investigation. The NTSB is working to determine a cause with an intent to issue safety recommendations to prevent similar incidents.
