Deadly explosion in Houston was so big it showed up on weather radar, meteorologist says
An deadly explosion that rocked a Texas city was so big it appeared on weather radar, officials say.
The blast shook northwest Houston at about 4:30 a.m. Friday and killed at least two people, according to KHOU and other news outlets.
Police say a building exploded, leaving behind broken glass and damage to homes, according to KTRK. It knocked homes off foundations, officials said during a news conference.
“This is in essence a disaster area right now,” Houston Police Chief Art Acevedo said.
The Houston fire and police departments along with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives are starting a criminal investigation as part of protocol, Acevedo said.
“We have no evidence at this point that terrorism was involved,” Acevedo said. “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 to always conduct a criminal investigation.”
A doorbell camera caught the dramatic moment a bright flash burst through the night sky, according to video posted to Twitter.
The explosion started in a tank of flammable gas at Watson Grinding & Manufacturing, KTRK reports.
It’s highly likely that the two people killed at the blast site are employees of the company, Acevedo said during an afternoon news conference. Investigators have met with their families, he said.
“Please pray for the two victims that we have uncovered here at the scene,” Acevedo said.
The boom was felt miles away, and it even showed up on weather radar, according to a Twitter post from meteorologist Mike Iscovitz with KRIV.
“It knocked us all out of our bed, it was so strong,” Mark Brady, who lives in the neighborhood, told NBC News. “It busted out every window in our house. It busted everybody’s garage door in around here. It’s a war zone over here.”
Radar video from Jeff Lindner of the Harris County Flood Control District confirms the surge in activity around the time of the explosion.
A fire at the blast site was contained, and firefighters waited for it to burn out before looking through the wreckage, Houston Fire Chief Samuel Peña said during the news conference. Peña said there are no air quality concerns in the area as the chemical propylene dissipates into the air.
The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality was responding, according to a tweet.
This is a developing story and will be updated when more information becomes available.
This story was originally published January 24, 2020 at 6:35 AM.
