Explosion rocks Southeast Dallas neighborhood, badly injuring one man

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An explosion in southeast Dallas left one man badly burned and a family without a safe place to stay.

It happened Thanksgiving evening in the 6700 block of Wofford Drive.

A next-door neighbor’s surveillance camera captured the split-second explosion that rocked the Urbandale neighborhood.

The Escobar family was inside their kitchen cooking when they heard what sounded like a bomb.

“Everything blew up,” said homeowner Vanessa Escobar.

The family of seven mainly escaped unharmed, but their friend Francisco Gorostieta, 34, was severely burned.

He was in the Escobar’s guest house behind their home when the blast blew the roof off.

His friends said he remembers nothing before being pulled from the debris.

“He was just in shock. He didn’t know what to say. He didn’t talk at all. He didn’t know what happened,” said Escobar’s daughter, Kelly.

Gorostieta remains at Parkland Hospital’s burn unit, where he’s being treated for second-degree burns to his face, chest, arms, and back, according to his friends.

A GoFundMe account was started to help with his medical expenses.

The force of the explosion also damaged the homes next door.

“Mostly all of my windows were blown out,” said neighbor Michael Polk. “And I had TVs that fell over and pictures that fell off the wall. It was kind of ransacked.”

Polk and others living along Wofford Drive said crews with Atmos Energy were on the scene for hours on Thanksgiving night. The Escobars said they’ve yet to learn what caused the explosion.

“Nobody has contacted me,” said Escobar.

Atmos Energy provided the following statement to NBC 5:

On Nov. 23, Atmos Energy’s highly trained technicians responded to a call on Wofford Drive in Dallas at the request of Dallas Fire Rescue. Our investigation confirmed our system is operating normally. We have found no evidence that our system was involved.  Our thoughts are with those injured and impacted by this event.  We will continue to assist Dallas Fire-Rescue and all officials in support of their investigation.

A spokesperson for Dallas Fire-Rescue said their investigators are still trying to find a potential cause.

The Escobars said their focus remains on Francisco’s health and finding somewhere safe to stay.

They established a GoFundMe account to help with temporary living expenses while they wait to learn more from their insurance company.