Arson possible in powerful blast, fire that destroys home

An unoccupied East Lubbock house was destroyed Friday night in an explosion and fire that fire marshal’s investigators believe could be the result of arson.

“It was a very violent explosion that blew out walls on three sides and blew the roof up in the air and it came down in the middle of things,” Lubbock Fire Marshal’s Office spokesman Garett Nelson said of the explosion and fire that destroyed the home in the 3400 block of King Avenue.

The explosion launched window glass into the street and surrounding vacant property, but did not damage nearby buildings. Nelson said Atmos Energy representatives were able to detect “a tremendous amount” of gas leakage at the house before the fire.

But investigators suspect the fire was more than an accident, he said. They detected evidence of other fires that could have ignited the gas.

He said neighbors also detected “suspicious activity” around the house prior to the explosion, but declined to reveal the nature of the activity due to the pending investigation of the incident.

A neighbor in a house about 200 feet across a vacant field from what now is a pile of rubble said she was in her home when she heard the explosion that sounded like “a giant firecracker.”

“It rattled my windows, and I said: ‘My God, what was that?’ ” Lorin Ledesma said.

Immediately after the explosion, Ledesma said, she walked outside and noticed a black sports car quickly driving away from the house west on 34th Street without headlights on. She said she didn’t know if the car was involved in the explosion and fire.

Nelson said he’d heard witness accounts of the car driving off.

“That’s somewhat helpful, but there’s a whole lot of black cars in Lubbock,” he said, explaining that he’s hopeful investigators can gather more information from witnesses when the investigation continues Monday.

Ledesma said the fire soon distracted her from the sports car.

“After the explosion, it didn’t take long for (the house) to start burning,” she said.

Nelson said approaching firefighters a quarter mile away could see the fire towering over surrounding buildings.

The home was fully engulfed in flames by the time fire crews arrived, he said, but the blaze was extinguished within about 30 minutes. Firefighters subsequently used a backhoe on the property to search for evidence.

Ledesma said she’s concerned for the husband and wife who own the destroyed house. She said they’ve lived with family in Mexico since last summer. She said the couple told her they were planning to sell the house, which was full of their belongings, to pay for a new home when they moved back to Lubbock.

“Now there’s not a house, just the land,” she said.

Ledesma said the homeowners’ daughter, who lives in Lubbock and surveyed the damage Saturday morning, told her the gas service was turned off to the house before the explosion happened.

“I don’t see how that happened unless someone was in there,” she said of the explosion.

Nelson said representatives for Atmos Energy confirmed they did a “soft turnoff” at the home, removing the gas bill from the owner’s name without turning gas off at the house.
Nelson urged anyone with information about the suspected arson to call Crime Line at 741-1000 or the Lubbock Fire Marshal’s Office at 775-2646.
By Adam D. Young, The Lubbock Avalanche-Journal