Zavalla House Explosion Under Investigation

ZAVALLA — Two people remain hospitalized following a house explosion Tuesday morning in Zavalla. According to KETK, volunteer fire-fighters in Zavalla were called to the scene of an explosion a little after 6:00 a.m. The two victims were in the care of their neighbors. One of the victims, Lyle West, was buried in the burning debris that once was his home. The other victim, Elaine West, was in a neighbor’s yard. Lyle West was flown to Galveston with serious injuries and Elaine West was transported to a Lufkin hospital for her injuries. Zavalla VFD could only speculate as to what caused the fire but they believe it was possibly caused by a propane gas leak. The explosion had people startled from all around even businesses located three to five miles away heard and felt the blast. In addition to debris being scattered everywhere most of the neighbor’s homes were damaged by either the flying debris or the shockwave.