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Did anyone else hear that explosion just now in North Austin?


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Posted

I grew up about 15 or 20 miles away as the crow flies from the Brenham salt dome explosion.  The explosion shook our house and made one of our interior doors close itself.

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Posted
6 minutes ago, kevwun said:

I grew up about 15 or 20 miles away as the crow flies from the Brenham salt dome explosion.  The explosion shook our house and made one of our interior doors close itself.

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I can see how that would be unforgettable.

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Posted
22 minutes ago, phdhorn said:

Oh hai again.

Wife's friend's friend who lives(ed?) across the street.  Thread got winned with this.

What are the odds this turns into a Surly cheating scandal?

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Posted (edited)

Yes, I should have known (SIAP blah blah). All I can say is if it's posted here before this (haven't checked) it did come from the source I said - probably got out there anyway (the internet (like Surlians) these days it's all over the place (Norm McDonald).

Anyway, I got it through texts of friends who know the homeowner. If it's a member here, sorry if you got any serious damage, hope all is well. 

Edited by phdhorn
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Posted
17 minutes ago, KYHorn said:

What are the odds this turns into a Surly cheating scandal?

Or this was Nicole's latest way of covering her tracks.  Look in the rubble for a body with lungs full of lake water.....

Posted
23 minutes ago, SquishMitten said:

You may have realized this by now, but this is doorbell cam footage from one of us

Also,

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Ah, Kristy Swanson.  I'm off to find "Higher Learning" on a streaming platform now, as the need to see her play dirty with Jennifer Connelly is now taking up all of my brain's bandwidth.

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Posted
3 minutes ago, phdhorn said:

All I can say is if it's posted here before this (haven't checked) it did come from the source I said - probably got out there anyway (the internet these days it's all over the place (Norm McDonald). Anyway, thanks for playing!

Let me slow this down for you. 

 

@TKthunder2 is a long-time poster here. That video is from his fucking house

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Posted
On 4/13/2025 at 6:21 PM, TKthunder2 said:

I was sitting on this couch with my two kids when the front door exploded in.

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I see that empty Mickey’s 40 oz on the coffee table. Just crushing one with the kiddos on a Sunday morning? 

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Posted
14 hours ago, deter said:

33. Sitting on the throne when it boomed. Went outside and it looked like a mushroom cloud. Still go to church with the kid in the car that ignited the gas.

Your honor, in my defense, I was drunk the entire weekend.  Plus, I lost my abacus.

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Posted
4 hours ago, kevwun said:

I grew up about 15 or 20 miles away as the crow flies from the Brenham salt dome explosion.  The explosion shook our house and made one of our interior doors close itself.

My college roommate's parents' house was just a couple of miles from the site.  Lucky for them, the hills in that area protected them from the brunt of the blast.  His mom told me that the walls on the house bowed in and then wobbled before settling back into place.  She also said it blew out decades of dust that she didn't know was there.  My dad and older brother both stepped outside of their respective workplaces to see the giant mushroom cloud.  As my dad was leaving his building there were ceiling tiles and all sorts of things that were mounted to the walls that were falling down like a scene in a movie.

Posted
37 minutes ago, 3adays said:

I see that empty Mickey’s 40 oz on the coffee table. Just crushing one with the kiddos on a Sunday morning? 

Ha, I wish, I can’t drink anymore (reoccurring acute idiopathic pancreatitis) last beer I had was the night of the Texas Bowl when Tom Herman mocked the Mizzou QB backpack dance. That’s a Costco sized Lime Topo Chico bottle.

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Posted
Just now, TKthunder2 said:

Ha, I wish, I can’t drink anymore (reoccurring acute idiopathic pancreatitis) last beer I had was the night of the Texas Bowl when Tom Herman mocked the Mizzou QB backpack dance. That’s a Costco sized Lime Topo Chico bottle.

Are y’all in a hotel or some sort of temporary housing now? Is the house boarded up?

Posted

Wife and kids are at a hotel where multiple other neighbors are also staying. Men are taking turns posting watch. Got my house boarded up best we can. Insurance adjuster comes by tomorrow and hope to get movers out by end of the week. Still looking for a rental in the area.

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Posted
3 hours ago, Richter said:

Wow that looks just like my mistress’s house

Shit, that's nothing, there's a video out there from the Nest cam at my mistress's house showing the explosion - it's the one with the porch swing starting to come apart on the left. Thankfully she's okay, but it blew the door in and fucked up the house.

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Posted
5 hours ago, phdhorn said:

Yes, I should have known (SIAP blah blah). All I can say is if it's posted here before this (haven't checked) it did come from the source I said - probably got out there anyway (the internet (like Surlians) these days it's all over the place (Norm McDonald).

Anyway, I got it through texts of friends who know the homeowner. If it's a member here, sorry if you got any serious damage, hope all is well. 

You’ve been here more than long enough to know that anything that happens anywhere (but especially central Texas) is always roughly one degree of separation from surly… and on a totally unrelated note… that you don’t accept an invite from Nicole to hit up some bars on Rainey St.

Posted
7 hours ago, TKthunder2 said:

Wife and kids are at a hotel where multiple other neighbors are also staying. Men are taking turns posting watch. Got my house boarded up best we can. Insurance adjuster comes by tomorrow and hope to get movers out by end of the week. Still looking for a rental in the area.

will it be a total loss? Old Mr Johnsons house is a total loss.

Posted
9 hours ago, TKthunder2 said:

Wife and kids are at a hotel where multiple other neighbors are also staying. Men are taking turns posting watch. Got my house boarded up best we can. Insurance adjuster comes by tomorrow and hope to get movers out by end of the week. Still looking for a rental in the area.

I wouodbhave to imagine if the exterior took that much damage there's a ton of damage that you can't see that likely had an impact on the structural integrity of the house. Keep us in the loop and let us know how we can help outside of rental house help. 

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Posted
9 hours ago, TKthunder2 said:

Wife and kids are at a hotel where multiple other neighbors are also staying. Men are taking turns posting watch. Got my house boarded up best we can. Insurance adjuster comes by tomorrow and hope to get movers out by end of the week. Still looking for a rental in the area.

Godspeed, I agree there's probably some structural gremlins in your house - considering the blast shockwave was able to knock your door in.

It's a damn miracle that nobody is in the hospital, I hope your family is able to find some peace and comfort in the next few days as y'all figure out wtf happened to your across the street neighbors

Posted
15 hours ago, Gladeite said:

My only experience is shooting a 5 gallon tank from 100 yards with a 30/06.  Only made a hole and spewed propane.  No explosion or fire.

Lol, same.  We had to have a fire source near it, and even that didn't do much - but when gas it contained and ignites it has a thermobaric effect

Posted
10 hours ago, TKthunder2 said:

Wife and kids are at a hotel where multiple other neighbors are also staying. Men are taking turns posting watch. Got my house boarded up best we can. Insurance adjuster comes by tomorrow and hope to get movers out by end of the week. Still looking for a rental in the area.

With a hurricane or most tornadoes, you have some semblence of a warning and time to prepare/ seek shelter.  How are y'all doing with the abrupt disruption without warning?  Is it just, "Hey nobody is hurt. We're ok?" or is there any lingering uneasiness, beyond living conditions?

Posted
14 hours ago, Richter said:

Wow that looks just like my mistress’s house

 

That's our neighbor's house.  Their kids and our kids are the same age and are back and forth all the time so they like the camera pointed that way to monitor both gates.  Disturbing allegations though, I like both Thad and Doug.  Which one are you banging?

 

26 minutes ago, Lurch said:


Would not bang

Guy across the street did though.

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Posted (edited)
15 hours ago, phdhorn said:

Yes, I should have known (SIAP blah blah). All I can say is if it's posted here before this (haven't checked) it did come from the source I said - probably got out there anyway (the internet (like Surlians) these days it's all over the place (Norm McDonald).

Anyway, I got it through texts of friends who know the homeowner. If it's a member here, sorry if you got any serious damage, hope all is well. 

Talk about a case of "LITERALLY" needing to read the room.

 

  

On 4/13/2025 at 7:21 PM, TKthunder2 said:

I was sitting on this couch with my two kids when the front door exploded in.

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Edited by Captain Ron
Posted (edited)
5 minutes ago, TKthunder2 said:

Sounds like the neighbor I talked to yesterday. From what I’m told, his son basically save the life of the guy that was in the house that blew up. I am super impressed by the young man and am very grateful to them for helping out our neighbor. Apparently he yelled for me while I was pulling out my kids and wife and I told them who I thought was in each house and brought out my fire extinguishers…but I honestly have no memory of that.

I can't even imagine the chaos in your mind at that time.

The more I've seen of pictures like overhead shots of the damage, and your video, the less I can believe you and your family got away as well as you did.  I'm truly sorry about your property losses, that's going to suck to deal with, for a good long while.  But wow, I know you just have to feel luckier every day, that things didn't turn out worse.  It's already been said on this thread, but surly is here for you if you need anything.  

Edited by utee94
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Posted
4 hours ago, CleverNickname said:

will it be a total loss? Old Mr Johnsons house is a total loss.

I feel so bad for him. Thank goodness he was at church when it happened. Probably  the 4 houses around ground zero are all going to be proper fucked.

Posted
2 hours ago, Captainant said:

Godspeed, I agree there's probably some structural gremlins in your house - considering the blast shockwave was able to knock your door in.

It's a damn miracle that nobody is in the hospital, I hope your family is able to find some peace and comfort in the next few days as y'all figure out wtf happened to your across the street neighbors

Yeah I’m not a structural engineer but this seems…not good, especially for a 2 story.

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Posted
2 minutes ago, TKthunder2 said:

Yeah I’m not a structural engineer but this seems…not good, especially for a 2 story.

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holy fuck it ripped your hardyboard and buckled some joists?? Your house tanked a serious fuckin' blast dude. That's wild

Posted
6 minutes ago, TKthunder2 said:

Yeah I’m not a structural engineer but this seems…not good, especially for a 2 story.

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Props to the person who hung up that porch swing. Even the limestone is all screwed up and that's not exactly thin veneer. 

Posted
Just now, TKthunder2 said:

There’s plenty I can see. Which makes me paranoid about what I can’t see. I have a feeling we’ll be going down to studs but holding out hope otherwise. Yeah right now trying to find a 6 month rental that feed to Laurel Mountain Elementary. We have 2 we’re going to look at later today but both want 12 months and insurance won’t cover that…yet (until they know how extensive the damage is).

We’re doing as well as can be expected. Wife is handling the kids, they went to school on Monday. We are doing stupid shit like sorting through piles of glass trying to find Legos pieces in my son’s room and trying to repair a broken light saber he just got at Disneyland last month because that what he was most upset about in his 8yo brain. I know it’s dumb but it gave us something to do until insurance finally showed up.

That kinda breaks my heart. I’d imagine we all have a very strong childhood memory of losing/breaking a new toy you absolutely loved.

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Posted (edited)
14 minutes ago, SquishMitten said:

Holy shit. The lateral force needed to do that is absolutely crazy. I guess it may have been due to the shockwave literally rippling the joist, almost like cracking a whip?

Looked like there was some shrapnel blown his way, too. 

Seems like they're lucky they were where they were when it happened. Imagine if you were standing on the porch or right behind the front door. 

Edited by ztejas
Posted

Damn!!

It's not very often a kid can use the excuse at school:

"Sorry, Teach. My fucking house BLEW UP. So I might miss a few days and miss some assignments if that's aright with you!"

And Mom and Dad are like, "Nope! Get to school Junior".

Harsh.

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Posted
On 4/13/2025 at 9:19 PM, CleverNickname said:

were are we in the propane theory? Could it have been the dreaded sneeze + fart?

On 4/14/2025 at 12:15 AM, Hairy Biped said:

The Brenham salt dome explosion that killed three and injured 21 others also happened 43 years ago last week.  There would've been a lot more victims if it had happened in a more populated area.  A worker from the oil & gas company responsible for the blast stopped a school bus full of kids from driving through the valley where the explosion happened just minutes before.

To be clear, the Brenham underground storage did not explode. The storage was overfilled in excess of capacity, and leaked until the product ignited.

The product that leaked was a Natural Gas Liquid (NGL) "Y-Grade" mix, a combination of Ethane, Propane, Normal Butane, Iso Butane, and a "Natural Gasoline"mix, a combination of pentane (C5) and heavier hydrocarbons that are a vapor at room temperature and pressure.

Propane and 'Y-Grade" are similar in that both of the vapors are heavier than air, and will tend to accumulate and lay in lower areas, until they eventually dissipate, or ignite.

Natural Gas (methane) is lighter than air and dissipates rather quickly. 

On 4/14/2025 at 10:33 AM, jimmyjazz said:

It's way too early to speculate, but that's never stopped me before.  I would expect a considerable number of lawsuits will be filed against the contractor.  The homeowners were apparently a month out from moving in, so I would assume they had not yet received a certificate of occupancy.

On 4/14/2025 at 11:16 AM, C-Man said:

All of the above is correct. Builder's CGL/Umbrella will be on the hook for a good portion of this, if he's the one that is liable.

Addressed below.

23 hours ago, Helobious said:

No propane tank is causing an explosion that big. Homeowner was up to some shit. 

If propane leaks, it will leak until the source is empty. And it will either eventually dissipate, or find an ignition source, and explode. In an open field, with a bit of wind, it will dissipate.

In a closed environment, like a house, it will accumulate towards the bottom, and absent any air movement or circulation, will stay there until it ignites.

The video, and absence of black smoke, is indicative of complete combustion, meaning there was sufficient oxygen to completely burn the fuel source. The residual smoke would come from whatever ignited in the blast, wood, furniture, clothing, etc.

23 hours ago, SquishMitten said:

It wouldn't be the tank itself exploding. It would be the gas filling up inside the house before something ignited it. 

21 hours ago, South Austin said:

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Like others, I'm really interested to learn more.  If there was enough propane in that house to cause an explosion like that, you'd think the owner would've smelled it once he walked in the door.  If that was the case, I'd flee the house ASAP and call 911.

At my ranch house, item #1 on my posted "Rules", "If you smell gas, leave."

Unfortunately, you have to open the door and turn on the lights and walk to read the rules. 

Residential propane and natural gas both have an odorant added (ethyl mercaptan, a sulfur compound that smells like rotten eggs.) I would think that smell would have been noticeable where the propane was leaking and accumulated, but it may not have been noticeable through out the house.

20 hours ago, Willfully Horn said:

Propane ignites when the air to gas ratio allows it to ignite, but it needs a spark.

All gas, no air, no boom.q

Propane has a lower flammability limit of 2% and a higher flammability limit of 9.5%, meaning the propane concentration in air has to be between 2 and 9.5% for combustion. 

20 hours ago, jimmyjazz said:

Sure.  My other thoughts are (a) they wouldn't need propane, they could be all-electric and (b) if they were truly a month out from occupancy, why would the propane tank have already been filled?  We had ours installed and filled on the day we moved in.

I had the same question...

20 hours ago, Jack Handey said:

Austin building permit search shows that the final building inspection was passed last month so the tank was likely filled. 

And Surly answered it ... before I could. 

21 hours ago, Herbie Hancock said:


1. Olfactory fatigue
2. Expansion ratio of propane is 270:1
3. Tanks are filled to 80% capacity, so if this was a 500 gallon tank it was filled with 400 liquid gallons. 400 x 270 = lots of boom boom sauce.

1 gal of propane is equivalent to 36.4 FT3 of propane. With lower and higher combustible limits of 2% and 9.5%, the combustible cloud of of a propane/air mix would be between 383 FT3 and 1820 FT3, before ignition.

After ignition, watching from somewhere distant is a good place to be.

2 hours ago, CHIEF said:

Next morning I called the propane guy who had installed it, told him what had happened, and you could hear a pin drop. He, and his crew where out here in about 30 minutes, and went through the system. They had forgot to put in the valve that metered the gas flow to 0.5 psi, so I had 4.5 psi going to the cooktop. With seeing what happened with just 4.5 psi hitting air, after being on for a split second, I can say that if a valve had been left on for 5-10 minutes, and somehow got lit, it would have caused that kind of devastation. Even at 0.5 psi, and someone carelessly leaving a valve open for a day and it gets lit, you are going to have that kind of devastation, especially if the house is sealed up with minimal to no leaks.

CHIEF

Good post Chief, but Surly gotta Surly. FIFY

"They had forgot to put in the valve that metered the gas flow regulator that reduced the pressure from 4.5 to 0.5 psi, so I had 4.5 psi going to the cooktop..."

Propane is extremely volatile/bad ass. Very explosive and because it is heavier than air, extremely dangerous.

Early in my career, I ran through ~ 150 ft wide propane cloud from a tanker truck leak during loading. Very eerie. The open 2" valve sounded like a jet engine, a cloud appeared from nowhere, and the air temperature dropped like a rock. Still can't believe I did that.

Better to run away. Assess the situation from a safe vantage point. Respond accordingly.

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