On New Year’s Day in north Arlington, around 1:30 am, a neighborhood shook when a two-story townhome under construction exploded with a blaze of fire. Car alarms were heard going off when the explosion blasted. A nearby neighbor’s security camera captured the moment the blaze rose to the sky resulting in ashes falling from the scene.
The vacant townhome was located on Crystal Oak Lane, close to North Collins Street in the 4100 block of Viridian Village Drive. Countless calls came through Arlington’s 911. When the Arlington Fire Department arrived, a small fire was still erupting, the townhome completely collapsed to a pile of rubble, debris tossed all over the road, cars close to the scene heavily damaged, and homes were damaged next to where the explosion occurred. According to CBS DFW, there were “no reports of serious injuries.”
A resident told CBS 11 News, “We heard a big boom… and then we saw lots of fire.” The explosion set off a “two-alarm response.” Along with the fire department, Oncor Electric and Atmos Energy, a natural gas provider, were the ones on the scene investigating the situation.
WFAA reported that the natural gas company stated, “Atmos Energy has verified that our system is operating as expected, and we have found no indication that our system was involved.”
According to NBC DFW, a gas appliance was left on within the townhome, which was the cause of the explosion.
The Arlington Fire Department stated, “The construction company’s engineers will look at the damaged building to determine what needs to be done to ensure the affected area is safe to enter.”
The fire department also explained that neighbors in the area have no reason to fear their gas appliances but to remember to always completely turn off when not using them.
