A Thanksgiving Day blast that shook a Dallas neighborhood has left a man with burns over 80 percent of his body. The explosion occurred at a home on Wofford Drive in the city's Southeast side, leaving Francisco Gorostieta, 34, in critical condition and two families scrambling in the aftermath—a chilling reminder that some disasters strike, devastatingly, close to home, as reported by FOX 4 News.
Caught by a neighbor's surveillance camera, like a sudden stroke of lightning splitting the quiet of the Thanksgiving evening, the blast critically injured Gorostieta, who was in the guesthouse at the time, and displaced the Escobar family. "We were at the kitchen cooking, and we just heard a boom," homeowner Vanessa Escobar stated, her words carried by the weight of an experience too immediate and too close for the kind of distance time might eventually grant, per FOX 4 News.
While detailed reports of the catastrophe continue to unfold, emergency services and gas technicians worked into the night, sorting through rubble and seeking answers. Atmos Energy—dispatched to examine the scene—maintained in a statement that their systems were functioning correctly and seemed not to be the cause of the blast. The force of the explosion not only decimated the guesthouse but also brought havoc to the main residence, shattering windows and dislodging internal fixtures, leaving repair and recovery as yet another hurdle for the owners in its ruinous wake.
The physical toll on Gorostieta was grave—covered in second-degree burns across most of his body, he has begun the long path to recovery with a lucidity that belies the external damage inflicted. "He didn't even realize the house had exploded, He doesn't know anything doesn't really remember the moment," Vanessa Escobar recounted, as per FOX 4 News. Next door, rattled neighbor Michael Polk, whose home also suffered damage from the explosion that the violent event knocked down his television from its mount—a minor but poignant detail amidst the unsettling event, as reported by NBC DFW.
