Zavalla, TX – A house explosion at 279 Pleasure Drive sent a Zavalla couple to separate hospitals and damaged five other houses Tuesday morning.
Zavalla Fire Chief Chris Wade said Lyle West, 82, was taken by flight to a Dallas-area hospital with serious injuries, and his wife, Elaine West, 83, was taken by ambulance to a local hospital. Wade said Elaine West was conscious at the time.
Wade said the fire department responded to an initial report of a structure fire at about 6:15 a.m.; however, as firefighters arrived, they were advised it was actually an explosion.
There was not a whole lot of fire, just a large debris field, and firefighters started patient care on the two victims, Wade said.
Neighbors reported they heard what they believed to be a propane tank explode.
There was approximately five other houses that were damaged due to the explosion, Wade said.
A nearby garage received significant damage to its doors, while other nearby homes had tarps covering the windows.
Wade said he has only seen one other incident in which a house explosion created such a large debris field, about 200 feet in all directions, and that was while he was working in Buffalo, Texas.
The State Fire Marshal’s Office was called to the scene to investigate, according to Wade. The City of Huntington Volunteer Fire Department assisted the Zavalla VFD by responding to other calls for the department.