An explosion shook part of northwest Houston when a manufacturing business burst into flames early Friday morning. Firefighters scrambled to put out the fire that damaged nearby homes and sent at least one person to the hospital.
The explosion happened at 4525 Gessner Road around 4:15 am, which is about an 18-mile drive northwest of downtown Houston, sending debris flying an entire half-mile from the site.
Houston Police Chief Art Acevedo said that there is at least one person unaccounted for at Watson Grinding and Manufacturing, where a fireball was videoed rising from the scene after the blast.
What caused the explosion isn’t yet known.
— Joey Charpentier (@BattleNub19) January 24, 2020
Homes in the immediate area experienced damage, including broken doors, windows, and collapsed ceilings. A resident who lives nearby told KTRK, “The whole ceiling fell in.”
“I thought maybe the house had gotten hit by lightning, and then I realized there was no storm,” the resident said. “No one can figure out what happened.”
Another resident, Mark Brady, told CNN affiliate KPRC that the explosion, “knocked us all out of our bed.”
“It busted out every window in our house. It busted everybody’s garage door in around here… and closer toward the explosion over there,” he said. “It busted people’s roofs in and walls in.”
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After the first massive blast happened at the site, smaller explosions followed a few hours later. No evacuations have been immediately ordered, according to Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez’s announcement on Twitter.
He also assured that first responders are checking on residents in the area.
For the moment, no evacuation instructions are in place by @HoustonFire. First responders are checking on residents immediately adjacent to the facility. Firefighters continue to try to put out the flames. RT @Heide2019: https://t.co/ABwc60vrt5
— Ed Gonzalez (@SheriffEd_HCSO) January 24, 2020
The local school district, Spring Branch ISD, says that school will still be in session, although buses might be delayed.
“We will keep students inside today as air quality in the area continues to be monitored,” said the district on Twitter.
