Year after fatal Weinbach explosion, neighborhood fights to rebuild near hallowed ground

EVANSVILLE — Whether they live on Weinbach Avenue or in Downtown Evansville, residents tell a similar story about the instant an explosion claimed three lives and damaged dozens of homes: They thought a truck slammed into their place of work, their home, or even their hair salon.

But the booming shockwave was no truck. According to a state, local and federal investigation, natural gas had quietly seeped into a home at 1010 N. Weinbach Ave. over a span of days. On Aug. 10, 2022, it ignited, setting off a fatal explosion heard and felt around the city.

The blast claimed the lives of Charles Hite, 43; Martina Hite, 37; and Jessica Teague, 29. The trauma from that day lingers like a dense fog over the otherwise idyllic North Weinbach neighborhood, even a year later.

Though many residents say they are ready to move past the tragedy, the neighborhood faces an uncertain future. The Indiana State Fire Marshal ruled the cause "accidental," but to this day some residents said they lack a true sense of closure.

The explosion rocked Jeff Atchley at 12:58 p.m. while he worked at Armada Optical Services, Inc., which manufactures safety glasses for industrial applications in a nondescript office building at 701 N Weinbach Ave, just a few blocks from the blast site.

"I just felt like a vibration, maybe like if you're in a car that has a lot of bass going on," Atchley told the Courier & Press days before the explosion's one-year anniversary. "Ceiling tiles fell out of place. Pictures on the wall fell down."

Atchley and his coworkers rushed outside, thinking − like many others − that a truck had slammed into their building. But instead of finding a wrecked vehicle, Atchley witnessed insulation falling from the sky like snow.

"After we realized the insulation was coming down, then we came back inside," Atchley said.

Just a few blocks away, 1010 N. Weinbach and the homes adjacent to it lay in smoldering ruins. Some witnesses said they observed a level of carnage they struggle to forget. Others say they struggle with symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder.

It is a similar story up and down North Weinbach. Residents, business owners and first responders recounted to the Courier & Press the several tense minutes it took to realize the magnitude of the disaster: A home on a quiet, peaceful street had gone up in a plume of explosive gas, claiming lives and damaging beloved homes for blocks in every direction.

Many residents said they narrowly avoided the blast due to seemingly random circumstances. A call to grab lunch. An unforeseen run to pick up the grandkids. Had they stayed home, they too would have felt the shockwave ripple through their bodies — or worse.

Miraculously, the authorities said no vehicles traveling down the otherwise busy street were in the direct path of the explosion when it flung shrapnel-like debris in all directions.

One year later the Evansville neighborhood still bares its scars, though signs of renewal abound.

The empty lot

Where 1010 N. Weinbach and several neighboring homes once stood now lies a field. On Tuesday, bright green grass indicative of a hot Southern Indiana summer covered the lot. A sign posted under a shady tree notified passersby that a buyer was willing to purchase nearby homes in "any condition" and in "any situation."

In April, Evansville Mayor Lloyd Winnecke discussed the fallout from the Weinbach tragedy at his annual State of the City address, heaping praise on dispatchers and first responders for their fast response and coordinated efforts to get a handle on the chaotic situation.

Residents praised those efforts, too.

Tanya Berry lives in the same Hercules Avenue home her grandparents once owned. The quaint house sits behind the site of the blast. Berry wasn't home when the explosion occurred, but the shockwave tore through her residence and caused extensive damage.

As is familiar for victims, months of wrangling with insurance companies ensued. Berry eventually received her payout and made repairs.

As she toked on a cigarette, a sunglasses-clad Berry recalled the events of Aug. 10, 2022, from her porch. She praised the Evansville police officers and firefighters who cordoned off the area and rushed into a smoke-filled scene more reminiscent of a warzone than a quiet midwestern neighborhood.

"People from outside wanted to come and look and all that, so there was tons of traffic," she said. "The fire department, the police department, they blocked everything off and made sure there were no more [gas] leaks... Their response was great."

It hasn't been all smooth sailing for the battered neighborhood, though. Some longtime residents were forced to leave their homes due to irreparable damage. Some left Evansville entirely. Neighbors said many of those who departed were simply "done" with North Weinbach Avenue.

The deadly explosion − and the trauma it inflicted − was the final straw.

In all, the blast damaged 39 homes, according to the city's building commission. Eleven homes were deemed damaged beyond repair. One year later, many homes close to the blast site remain unoccupied. Sheets of plywood still hang on many windows and doors.

Developer sees opportunity to rejuvenate neighborhood. Some new homes will minimize natural gas use.

Justin Stark posted the sign in Weinbach's empty lot advertising to homeowners they could make a quick sale. Stark, who owns Newburgh-based HomeVentures, has acquired multiple damaged homes in the North Weinbach area, including one at 1021 Hercules Ave. that was in "very, very poor shape," he said.

"We completely gutted that house; removed all exterior siding," Stark explained. "When we're done with everything else, it will essentially be brand new."

HomeVentures buy buildings at below-market value and in cash, according to its website, and Stark acknowledges that the company has clear business interests at stake as it seeks to redevelop damaged portions of the North Weinbach area. But he also sees his work as an opportunity to bring new residents into a beautiful neighborhood.

The homes will not be "luxury" properties designed to price out would-be renters, according to HomeVentures.

"Basically every house on that block from Hercules to Weinbach are going to be newly remodeled houses," Stark said. "The explosion spurred the movement of renovations... But the projects we're doing go above and beyond just repairs."

Crucially, Stark said these newly styled homes will lack one feature that was a staple of the neighborhood: lots of natural gas hookups.

"We do not plan on doing any gas appliances," Stark said, explaining that the stigma surrounding their use in a neighborhood traumatized by a natural gas explosion would be a bridge too far. "We still have gas furnaces in three of the houses, but we removed the gas stoves, and we plan on doing all electric."

The ongoing renovations come after city inspectors went door-to-door in the aftermath of the explosion inspecting damaged homes. In September, the Evansville City Council voted 7-0 to approve $110,000 to fund the emergency raze orders for Weinbach Avenue homes and trash cleanup.

Five homes were ordered to be razed, and city officials said all five homeowners would receive compensation.

First responders rushed to the blast site. The investigation took longer, and here is what it found.

Evansville Police Department Sgt. Taylor Merriss clearly remembers the moment North Weinbach Avenue's peaceful existence fell apart. She was sitting in her office just before 1 p.m. on Aug 10, 2022, with her colleague and department spokeswoman Sgt. Anna Gray.

"We have our radio on 24/7, we heard it go off and at that point, we just kind of looked at each other like, 'Did we hear that right?'" Merriss said.

At first, Merriss and Gray did not know what had happened. There had been a loud boom - some sort of explosion. It was only when officers began radioing in from the scene that they "knew it was something severe," Merriss said.

Frantic 911 calls streamed in.

"I think a house just exploded," one caller exclaimed. A mail carrier told dispatchers he witnessed debris "flying higher than the trees." The blast shook his mail truck.

Merriss and Gray jumped into their vehicles and began heading toward what they thought was the scene of a blast — but they weren't entirely sure where it had occurred. Once they and dozens of officers, firefighters and paramedics, arrived in the 1000 block of North Weinbach Ave. it became clear this was no ordinary run.

"It was a huge scene," Merriss recalled. "Probably the largest I've ever been a part of."

First responders searched for injured residents and helped people exit their damaged homes. Merriss said those moments were especially hard. Harder still was reckoning with the fact three people lost their lives.

Once the scene was secure, a collaborative investigation led by the Evansville Fire Department began. The Indiana State Fire Marshal, CenterPoint Energy and federal agencies tried to piece together what had happened. EFD Chief Mike Connelly delivered daily news briefings that captured national attention.

Outlets as far away as India reported on the explosion.

But investigators grew increasingly quiet as days stretched into weeks with no publicly identified cause of the blast. It wasn't until November that the state fire marshal announced its findings: An uncapped gas line in 1010 N. Weinbach Ave.'s basement allowed gas to leak into the home. The line's valve was found to be in the open position.

"No additional evidence was found to determine how the valve was opened," the agency wrote in a news release. "Meter data taken after the incident showed a sharp increase in gas usage beginning two days before the blast."

But investigators could not determine a source of ignition. Experts told the Courier & Press that a tiny spark, triggered by static electricity, could suffice to cause a large explosion when gas is allowed to leak for days undetected.

The investigation brought some closure to residents and family members of those who lost their lives and their homes. But the lack of clarity surrounding the uncapped gas line has left many with lingering questions.

"It would be nice just to know what happened," Shannon Armstead, a caseworker at the nearby Knight Township office said. "Did the valve somehow get opened unknowingly?"

Conspiracy theories and rampant speculation inundated the neighborhood in the immediate aftermath of the blast. One resident thought he saw a contractor's truck parked outside 1010 N. Weinbach days before the explosion. Others told reporters they thought they smelled gas and reported it to CenterPoint.

But CenterPoint, and state investigators, failed to corroborate any such claims. There were no calls reporting a gas leak. There were no calls for service prior to the explosion. CenterPoint's main gas lines were not at fault, the company said.

Residents remember and honor victims

Teague was a "hard and dependable worker" at the Toyota Boshoku plant, where she began working after earning her associate's degree in applied computer science at Henderson Community College, according to her obituary.

She died in her home, which sat next to 1010 N. Weinbach, where the Hites lived.

The Hites both worked for Fresh Market on Burkhardt Road, and they also had a flea market table at Cowboy Jim's. Their loss hit family, friends and the community hard.

At the Hites' funeral, the Rev. John Eaton told the crowd of mourners nobody was ready for this: For the unexpected explosion or the loss of life. The Hites were "better together, enjoying life together," Eaton said.

Some North Weinbach residents would like to see a memorial erected to honor the lives of Teague, Charles and Martina Hite, and all of those who suffered the trauma that befell North Weinbach on Aug. 10, 2022. They say it wouldn't have to be much — just a marker indicating the pain and loss incurred by so many.

"I think having something small there would be meaningful to the people that it really affected," Berry said as she reflected on the incident Tuesday morning. "I was kind of shocked when the property went up for sale."

One year later, there are few indications that a massive explosion upended the 1000 block of North Weinbach: Plywood window coverings, an errant piece of old police tape, an empty field and testimony from those who bore witness to it.

Houston Harwood can be contacted at houston.harwood@courierpress.com

This article originally appeared on Evansville Courier & Press: One year after Weinbach explosion, residents mourn and fight to rebuild