Plano home explosion that sent 6 to hospital likely caused by gas leak: fire marshal

Fire investigators determined that a house explosion in Plano on Monday was likely caused by a gas leak within the home, the Plano Fire Department said Tuesday morning.

The home at 4429 Cleveland Drive was leveled in the explosion at about 4:40 p.m. Monday. Six people went to the hospital — one person who was inside the house and five people inside a neighboring home, the fire department said.

The gas leak was isolated to the home and no other homes are in danger, the fire department said in a Facebook post.

The Plano 911 dispatch started receiving calls about the explosion at 4:40 p.m., with callers saying the home was “completely gone.” A search group formed to rescue any people within the rubble of the house. Search teams found one person who was inside the house when it exploded.

Several neighboring homes were severely damaged in the blast, which was felt almost a mile away. Two adults from the house directly to the west of the home were taken to Medical City Plano, and three children were taken to Children’s Medical Center in Plano, the fire department said.

Officials with the Plano Fire Marshal’s Office said they still need to investigate further to determine exactly where the gas leak was within the home and what caused the gas to ignite. The extensive damage to the home will hinder these ongoing investigations, the department said.

The Plano Police Department, along with the the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the FBI, were on scene early in the investigation and determined, with the assistance of an explosive detection canine, that there was no hazardous materials or explosives involved.