Plano Texas Explosion Injures 6, Levels Home

A home explosion in Plano, Texas has injured six people and damaged two other homes. According to Plano Fire-Rescue Lieutenant Daniel Daly, three adults and three children were transported to the hospital. Their condition remains unknown.

The house exploded at approximately 4:45 p.m. and is in the 4400 block of Cleveland Drive. Images from the scene of the accident show what appears to be a mostly destroyed house, with a pile of debris between two other damaged homes. As of this writing, it’s unclear if neighbors have been evacuated or will be required to do so.  

According to Plano Fire-Rescue's Twitter account, the cause of the explosion is not yet clear. However, fire officials have shut down natural gas lines in the area and workers from Atmos Energy are at the scene.  

Atmos Energy Has Been Involved With Recent Natural Gas Explosions 

While it hasn’t been confirmed that the cause of this explosion was an issue with natural gas, reports of Atmos being at the scene of the accident have triggered speculation. The natural gas company has been involved in several explosions over the last few years.  

In June, a natural gas pipeline owned by Atmos exploded, killing two workers and injuring two others. The workers were performing maintenance on the pipeline when the blast occurred. Currently, officials are investigating the cause of the accident. 

Notably, Atmos was found to be responsible for a fatal Dallas pipeline explosion in 2018. In the days leading up to the explosion, Atmos pipelines had two “gas-related incidents” with the pipeline. Yet, the company failed to detect or fix the problem. It also failed to evacuate the area. 

That pipeline had a third incident three days later, this time exploding and taking the life of a 12-year-old girl. She was practicing a cheerleading routine when the blast took her life.  

After a three-year investigation, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) released the results of its investigation into the incident. It found that Atmos Energy to be completely responsible for the young girl’s death because it failed to perform an adequate investigation and perform necessary work that would have saved her life.  

The NTSB also found that Atmos Energy failed to thoroughly train their employees and did not provide them with protocols for assessing pipeline damage. There were warning signs that the Dallas pipeline explosion was imminent for over a month before it happened.  

In a 2018 investigation by the Dallas Morning News, reporters found that over two dozen homes with Atmos lines had exploded over a 12-year period. The company owns some of the oldest pipelines in the nation, with many of them in desperate need of updating after decades of neglect.  

Our Plano natural gas explosion lawyers will continue to follow this story as officials confirm whether an Atmos gas line triggered this accident.