AUSTIN (Talk1370.com) -- Several people were injured Sunday morning after a house in Northwest Austin exploded - damaging nearby homes with the blast heard and felt miles away from the scene.
Austin Fire says its crews first responded to the scene just before 11:30 a.m. Sunday in the 10400 block of Double Spur Loop, which is southwest of U.S. 183 and McNeil Drive.
Austin Fire assistant chief Thayer Smith said officials believe the two story home at the center of the incident collapsed after that explosion, causing the home next door to partially collapse and causing damage to at least two dozen other structures in the neighborhood.
Austin-Travis County EMS officials said a total of six patients were located, including two at the site of the explosion. One remains in critical condition, while another is in serious condition. A third patient from a nearby home was hospitalized, also in critical condition.
Medics said a fourth patient refused treatment; two firefighters were also injured during the response.
Crews were working to fight small spot fires in the collapsed debris of the home; Smith said those fires had been put out by mid-afternoon.
Reports of the explosion came in from miles away, including both Cedar Park and Leander. Cedar Park Police addressed the incident in an X post, but said the explosion was in Austin, not in Cedar Park.
Power outages were reported in the area due to damage to power lines, according to AFD. Pedernales Electric crews were on scene assessing the damage and had most of the outages repaired by mid-afternoon.
Smith said the cause remains under investigation, which will be handled by the Travis County Fire Marshal's office. The property did not have natural gas service, but many of the homes have propane tanks. Officials believe it to be an isolated incident with no ongoing threat.
According to officials, no criminal charges are expected to be filed in the case.