HOUSTON – A homeowner said she is glad to be alive after her house exploded into a fireball that damaged multiple homes in southeast Houston.
The explosion happened around 11 a.m. Sunday at a home in the 6000 block of Doulton Drive near Bellfort Avenue.
Mildred Whitfield captured the fire on her phone across the street.
“This was an explosion I mean it was a ball of fire it was whoop it just went up,” Whitfield said.
Homeowner Jewell Meyers told KPRC 2 photographer Wladimir Moquete that she noticed the smell of gas Sunday morning.
The 82-year-old said the odor was strong and she could smell it in her bathroom and her kitchen, so she went to the neighbor’s house next door to ask about to odor.
“I wasn’t going to stay in there smelling that gas that strong,” Meyers said. “I left the house and I went to my neighbor’s house next door and that is where I was sitting when it blew up.”
The explosion caused windows in nearby homes to blow out and also left a hole in the neighbor’s house and created a massive fire that engulfed Meyers’ home.
“I’ve lost everything,” Meyers said. “What can I do? I am 82 years old. What can I do?
Four homes total were damaged by the explosion. One across the street and the two neighboring homes on either side of Meyers’ home.
“The explosion lifted the house off the foundation. Following the explosion there was a fire that subsequently caught the adjacent houses on fire as well,” Assistant Fire Chief Michael Mire said.
Authorities said there were no injuries reported in the blast or the fire. Officials have not yes confirmed the cause of the explosion.
The Red Cross is helping families impacting by the explosion.
A GoFundMe fundraiser was launched on behalf of Meyers and her husband.