Families Say More Homes Near Explosion May Be Unlivable
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WAXAHACHIE (CBSDFW.COM) - On Wednesday, families affected by an explosion had their first full day to work on cleaning up and salvaging their homes.
The blast Monday morning leveled the home of Adele Chavez, and damaged nine of her neighbors' houses.
While some of the damage is minimal, the homes immediately on either side are now fenced off, and may not be livable, according to the Fire Chief.
A structural engineer will assess the properties. In the meantime, families are staying in hotels and leaning on their insurance companies for help.
Karen Woods and her sister, Susan Guynes, and Susan's 16 year old daughter live in one of the homes that is not safe right now. The women spent the day retrieving clothing and things that could not be replaced.
Among the lost – their dachshund, Lulu, who disappeared after the blast.
The family was not home early Monday morning at the time of the explosion.
"We're taken care of. We're blessed. We weren't hurt. Everyone's here," said Woods.
The sisters remember Chavez telling them about water shooting from a toilet in her home over the weekend. They helped her clean it up. Authorities said it appears gas was building up into the sewer line, leading up to the explosion.
"Pray for Adele, my next door neighbor. She needs all the prayers she can get," said Guynes.
They're praying for Chavez, who remains in Parkland Hospital. Chavez and her brother, Jamie Rodriguez, were injured and burned when the home burst to pieces.
Tuesday night, Chavez underwent surgery for 2nd and 3rd degree burns and a broken arm. Her daughter tells CBS 11 News her mother is doing well, and that Chavez was talking and alert on Wednesday morning.
Her brother, whose injuries were less severe, was released from the hospital today and is with family now.
Members of the family came back to the site of the home to collect pictures and a few other items not destroyed.
On the other side of the Woods and Guynes home, Jason Lockwood, his wife, and young children were sleeping when the explosion happened two doors down.
He feels lucky, he says: his home only sustained cosmetic damage. The home between his and the blast site shielded them.
"I feel sorry for my neighbors here, but they saved me. They absolutely saved me," he said.
The Waxahachie Fire Chief says the third party contractor that damaged the Atmos gas line was laying fiber optic lines at the time it struck the pipe.
Gas from that broken pipe seeped into a broken sewer pipe, and built up over the weekend.
The Texas Railroad Commission has an ongoing investigation to determine if any pipeline safety rules were violated. AT&T is assisting in the investigation, but a spokesperson would not say what the company knows of what happened.
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