Originally published by Houston Chronical
One person is dead after a suspected gas explosion late Wednesday night, according to officials, at a home located at 200 S. Vernon St. shown Thursday, Dec. 10, 2020 in Tomball.
A Tomball man died Wednesday night in an apparent gas explosion that appeared to be a suicide, officials said.
The blast, which destroyed the house and was felt miles away, was intentionally ignited using a combination of flammable liquids and natural gas, according to an initial investigation by police, fire and a coroner. Tomball police said Thursday morning the explosion appears to be a suicide.
“This investigation is ongoing, and the deceased has not yet been positively identified,” police said.
The Tomball Fire Department responded to a reported explosion about 11:20 p.m. at 200 Vernon Street where they found a single residence fully involved in flames, said Fire Chief Randy Parr. Authorities said they believe it was a gas explosion.
Firefighters knocked down the flames roughly 10 minutes after they arrived at the older home, which was made of combustible wood, Parr said. The roof was blown off the top of the home, and all that remained was a charred framework. Debris littered the yard, street and nearby driveways.
As they combed through the wreckage, firefighters discovered human remains. The person has not been identified. Earlier in the night, Parr said they were concerned about the whereabouts of one person.
No other structures were damaged and no one else was injured.
“It’s extremely extremely puzzling, quite frankly, that a detonation of that size we did not have collateral damage,” Parr said. “We think a lot of the energy was generated upwards through the roof system.”
The explosion reverberated through the city, shaking structures up to 2 miles away, Parr said. People flocked to Vernon Street to see what happened.
Fire officials will examine gas connections and appliances to determine where the fire originated.
Public works crews conducted an inspection of the natural gas system and determined there is no threat to the public, police said.
