Waxahachie residents return home after explosion evacuation lifted

Residents of 27 houses near the site of an explosion in Waxahachie were able to return home Tuesday evening, fire chief Ricky Boyd said.

The Waxahachie Fire Department lifted the evacuation that had displaced residents since Monday morning, when a home at 113 Arabian Road blew up and sent two people to Parkland Memorial Hospital in Dallas.

Adele Chavez, 69, and her brother, Jaymie Rodriguez, were inside the home when the blast occured, an official at Chavez’s church said. Chavez, who suffered severe burns, underwent surgery Tuesday night. She remained in the intensive care unit Wednesday at Parkland, said Nathan Grant, a minister at Refiner’s Fire church in Ennis.

Rodriguez, who was in “good condition” Tuesday, had improved.

“They both still have procedures and rehab to go through for many days to come,” Grant said. “The family asks that you keep praying for the healing process that will take a long period of time.”

Atmos Energy attributed the explosion to a leak in a gas line near Chavez’s home. Boyd said AT&T was in the neighborhood last Thursday laying fiber-optic cables, and there was evidence the line was damaged then.

“This evidence also leads us to believe that we did not experience a system failure,” Atmos spokeswoman Jennifer Altieri said. “We have concluded an extensive and comprehensive survey and pressure test of our systems this morning, reaffirming residents that our natural gas service is safe and reliable.”

Atmos cleared the scene about 1 p.m. Tuesday, and the Waxahachie fire and police departments began allowing residents to return home a few hours later. Boyd said residents went through a checkpoint, and then met with an Atmos worker to get their gas turned back on.

Two other homes near Chavez’s home were heavily damaged.

Chavez is a longtime member and volunteer at Refiner’s Fire, a nondenominational church, Grant said.

“She is very active with our church,” he said. “Specifically, we have a food and clothing outreach that runs Monday through Thursday. She works there every day. She’s also a door greeter, so she’s the first person you see when you get here.”

The church posted an update on Chavez’ condition on its Facebook page Monday.

“She was responsive and was able to pray with the Pastors while they were there,” it said. “We need to continue to pray that her lungs are good as well as a good prognosis on the burn damage to her body. Please also pray that skin grafts would be minimal.”

This story was originally published September 23, 2015 at 8:43 AM with the headline "Waxahachie residents return home after explosion evacuation lifted."