HOUSTON – A new assessment revealed about 450 structures were damaged following a massive, fatal explosion at a business in northwest Houston Friday, according to the Office of Emergency Management and the Houston Fire Department.
The explosion at Watson Grinding and Manufacturing rattled nearby neighborhoods in the early hours of Friday morning and killed two employees who were using the gym facilities at the business, officials said. About 20 residents were also injured, officials said.
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Debris from the explosion littered the surrounding areas and some nearby residents told KPRC 2 the foundation of their homes was damaged from the shockwave. The worst affected neighborhoods were Westbranch and Carverdale, with residents being forced to go to shelters Friday as officials investigated the cause of the blast.
In the hours following the Friday explosion, HFD Chief Sam Peña said there were about 214 homes that were damaged.
The number of damaged structures was increased to 450 Monday after an assessment by the Office of Emergency Management.
Of the 450 damaged structures, officials say:
- 35 structures had major damage
- 358 structures had minor damage
- 57 structures were affected
It is unclear how many damaged structures were homes and how many were businesses.
A property damage lawyer filed a lawsuit on behalf of 12 neighbors whose homes were severely impacted by the explosion. The lawsuit claims the company was negligent and failed to properly store chemicals that led to an explosion.
You can find all of KPRC 2′s stories on the fatal explosion and all the latest updates here.